6 questions with 6 BHSU grads: Gavin Brucklacher

Full-time jobs, travels across the world, and advanced degrees. In this series “6 questions with 6 grads,” Black Hills State University will highlight the future plans of some of the University’s May 2018 graduates.

Name, Location, and Major?
I’m Gavin Brucklacher from Philip, S.D. I’m a business administration major with an emphasis in economics and finance and entrepreneurial studies.

What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I will be at First National Bank in Philip where I will be an IT Specialist. Through the SD CEO office I got an internship in Philip. First National was very welcoming and accepting of me to have an internship there. I got to go through the processes with all the bankers there and at the end of it I got a successful 3 credit hours. In August when we were getting ready to go back to school for my senior year, the bank president asked me about my plans after graduation. He said he’d like to have me stick around and I said absolutely! June 4th is my first day.

What will you miss most about BHSU?
Black Hills State does a great job of keeping the class sizes small, the courses relevant and interesting. The class sizes in the business school are roughly 20-25 at the max. Even if you’re walking across campus you’ll know someone you’ve said hi to, had a class with, or had a group project with. I think that’s what I’ll miss – the small town feel in a bigger town.

What’s your favorite memory at BHSU?
My favorite memory is being involved on campus with other student-led organizations. I was Presidential Student Ambassadors President my junior year. That was very eye-opening for me – getting to work with President Jackson, the Alumni Association, the BHSU Foundation, getting to meet and greet and socialize with all the alumni that have been here. Going to their events, meetings and hearing what they have to say about BHSU really motivates me to give back and make a difference for all the students like myself who’ve had the opportunity to go on to post-secondary education.

How has BHSU prepared you for your future?
Black Hills State has prepared me for my future with the relevant course offerings they provide. Whether it was Advanced Corporate Finance or Investments, or Labor Economics or Public Finance – all of these courses have relevant information you can take away and use in your job. For my case, I’ll be working at a bank. I’ll be getting to know the loan officers and have more in-depth conversation about market fluctuations. It’s prepared me to speak in the world of business and have conversations that I might not have been able to before.

Who is your favorite professor?
My favorite professor on campus is Dr. Ron DeBeaumont, professor of economics. I had him through Intermediate Micro, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and right now Public Finance. He’s been by far my favorite, he’s very understanding of the material. He’ll walk into class with a sheet of paper and a marker and he won’t even look at the paper sometimes. He’ll give you all the information you need to be successful in the real world and not just economics what he teaches but in the banking industry and business industries. It’s amazing how much information he can give you and how much you can actually retain.

Nearly 390 graduates will be recognized during the 175th BHSU Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 5 at the Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center. The public is invited to join and celebrate the students’ achievements. Degrees to be awarded include 66 master’s degrees, 294 bachelor’s degrees, and 28 associate’s degrees. An honorary doctorate will be bestowed upon Dr. Lowell Amiotte, Oglala Lakota and a 1964 graduate of BHSU.