Hanelt has a personal connection to her major

MINOT, N.D. – Brooklyn Hanelt’s journey toward her major began with a personal connection.

“What inspired me to choose my major was having gone to a speech-language pathologist when I was a child,” the Minot State senior said. “I wanted to do something that I understood and had previous experiences with, understanding what it was like to have unfortunate circumstances as a younger kid, and sometimes getting bullied for the way I spoke. Getting help and being able to help another child and understand what it felt like was the main reason why I applied for my program.”

That passion grew after she arrived on campus.

“When I started college, I discovered what audiology was, and I just fell in love with the idea of audiology,” she said.

Music played a big role in that decision.

“Music has been a very big thing in my life. It's just kind of always been my way of getting through things,” she said. “I’ve always been known as the jukebox in my family — anything music is just like a really big on who I am.”

Outside the classroom, Hanelt spent all four years involved in residence life, growing from a resident assistant to a residence hall director. She said the best part has always been the people.

“What has been the most rewarding part of serving as a resident hall director is definitely being able to connect with the residents,” she said. “I have definitely made a lot of good connections with residents and actually contact them during the summertime.”

As an international student from Canada, she found a sense of belonging through campus involvement.

“Because I am international and heavily involved in the international club, I've met lots of different nationalities and lots of different people,” she said. “It really has shaped my college experience because I've learned lots about different cultures.” Those friendships carried her through long breaks and made Minot feel at home.

Balancing responsibilities wasn’t always easy, especially with the unpredictability of housing work. But strong support from her team made the difference.

“You never really know what's going to happen and when it's going to happen, so sometimes that can be a little stressful,” she said. “My bosses are really supportive. They were willing to reach out to my professors. And just double-checking on how I was doing.”

Leadership opportunities shaped her confidence and communication skills.

“Taking leadership 101 with Jim (MSU’s Looyenga Leadership Center director Jim Sturm) was the best,” she said. “It's allowed me to grow personally, how to deal with multiple different personalities, and how to make a team mesh. It helps me address more about the communication styles to use and how to help mediate multiple different people.”

Hanelt encourages students to consider becoming an RA to think about their goals.

“I would consider looking at their ability to work with other people. Their dedication would be a big one,” she said. “If it aligns with, like, even just a small section of what an RA does, I think it'd be a great thing for them to consider.”

Reflecting on her time at MSU, she said it’s the people who made it special.

“I would say I'm most proud of accomplishing my academic goals,” she said. “But equal, on par with my academic goals, is friendships. I think that's the biggest thing that college gives you. I've definitely met so many people and made friends from all over the world who have graduated and left, and I'm still in contact with them.

“I think that's the biggest thing that I'm proud of.”