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BSC provides bridge for Bullhead

Published: Jan 31 2019
BSC provides bridge for Bullhead - Photo
Schea Bullhead knows that the best way to get where he’s going is to find a route where the transitions from small to big, and then to bigger still, aren’t overwhelming. Bismarck State College fit the bill for him.

Bullhead is from Fort Yates, N.D., on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. He graduated from Standing Rock High School with about 40 others in 2016. One of the top three students in his class, he knew he wanted to leave home for college, but also knew that for him, college success was dependent on a move that wouldn’t be too large or too jarring.

He chose BSC, 68 miles to the north, and moved into Werner Hall. He liked his classes, got along with his roommate, and became a Mystic Ambassador. He had excellent grades and was invited to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), an honor society. It was the perfect balance – he’d moved out of his comfort zone without moving too far from home.

His professors were pleased. Joe Ellefson, a criminal justice professor, remembers Bullhead as a determined student, quiet but always prepared. Computer Science instructor Deb Mantz calls him “conscientious” and cited his tendency to help others in class.

Bullhead says he definitely improved his people skills that first year – a goal he’d set. Both in PTK and as a Mystic Ambassador, he says he had to talk. “It gave me an outlet to improve how I relate to people.”

Things were going well, but then, the summer before his sophomore year, Bullhead had a severe anxiety attack. He’d experienced minor anxiety in the past, but this time the effects stayed with him.

Continue reading this story written for the Winter 2018-19 issue of BSC Magazine.