By Micah Friez
Published 12:00 pm on November 13, 2025
Every person at Bemidji State University comes to campus with a unique story.
For some, it’s the legacy of family heritage steeped in BSU origins. For others, unexpected scholarships became the open door they needed to enroll as a first-generation college student. And still for more, Bemidji State was simply the best place to find their calling and launch their future.
So, while each Beaver arrives with a unique story, many leave with a shared testimony.
“All of us came here looking for the next step,” said alumna Muriel Kingery. “We found it here, and BSU was here to support us and to give us room to explore who we were.”
Bemidji State’s For the North fundraising campaign is built for students: those who enroll to study, to grow, and to succeed. And the heartbeat of the campaign is the donors: those who advocate and invest in that kind of bright future.
Collectively, they are the People of the North.
“The whole spirit of BSU is in the people,” Kingery said. “For example, being able to see all the alumni who come back for Homecoming is the best. And when we win, we get to cheer for the football team as they jump into the lake. That tradition is so special to this place. It really shows the joy and the spirit of our campus.”
Bemidji State’s longstanding lake-jump tradition not only adds to the culture of the school, it encapsulates the unique geographical advantages of living in northern Minnesota.
Yes, BSU can offer quirky perks like free parking on the lake in the wintertime and a network of heated tunnels connecting buildings so students can avoid the freezing cold. But it’s more than that. Beyond classroom learning, Bemidji State has unique offerings within nature that community members can harness for good.
“There’s so much opportunity for a student to step into the North Woods of Minnesota,” said alumnus Jordan Lutz. “Our campus’ location on the western shores of Lake Bemidji is a critical component of how we understand ourselves as an institution. The ability to step outside of a building and see the lake, it really helps because we understand the value of the resource that we’re really trying to shepherd.”
Bemidji State has over 6,000 alumni living within a 30-mile radius of campus. Many students come in and realize, like Lutz, that it’s a hard place to leave. And with that comes a sense of obligation to steward the North.
“I am one of those individuals who came to BSU as a student, but find myself a Bemidji resident years later, raising a family,” Lutz said. “During their time at BSU, students will be called upon to make our campus and our broader community a better place. And that is a call to invest, to lean in, and to join us in making a better future.”
‘How it’s meant to be’
Jean Claude Habanyurukundo is an international student from Rwanda. He and his four brothers have spread all across the globe in search of a good education, which he said his culture believes “is one of the ways to make it in life.”
At BSU, and nearly 8,000 miles from home, Habanyurukundo has received the quality education he originally dreamed of. But he’s also benefited from his local community as much as the classroom. As a first-generation college student, Habanyurukundo views his opportunities at Bemidji State as something that will impact his family for generations.
“BSU, with people being close to you all the time to support you, it gives you a big chance to stand out and excel,” he said. “I will tell my children and my grandchildren all the great stories and the good experiences I had at BSU.”
Similarly, alumna Shelana Ysen has seen her professional trajectory skyrocket ever since receiving an acceptance letter from Bemidji State when other schools denied her the chance to succeed. But BSU didn’t just let her enroll — it provided her hands-on experiences that shaped her career path for the better.
As a student, Ysen was originally set on pursuing public relations. But after she begrudgingly got stationed behind a camera at a football game, she discovered immediately that she loved sports production. Because she only needed one chance, and because BSU offered it to her, Ysen now works as the senior event and production manager at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.
“In some ways, college is that expansion of your horizons,” she said. “You may want to do one thing, and you get to campus and you realize there’s so much more you didn’t consider. My whole trajectory, it’s almost like this is how it was meant to be.”
Bemidji State’s faculty and staff are fervent about helping students discover those pathways. Dr. Cory Renbarger, a professor of music and the director of Bemidji Opera Theater, sees it as one of the best parts of his job. It’s why he’s here.
Each year brings new students, new graduates, and new supporters into the People of the North collective. When they combine to establish a mutualistic relationship within the For the North campaign, transformation happens.
“BSU’s mission is to educate students to lead inspired lives,” Renbarger said. “The students, they’re capable. They’re open to discovery. We attract a kind of student that grabs life by the horns on their own. They’re not afraid to try. And I think that’s a great place to start.”
