From Loss to Purpose: STC Student Turns Personal Tragedy into Nursing Career
Landen Kroger a Build Dakota Scholar
For Landen Kroger, a licensed practical nursing student at Southeast Technical College, the decision to pursue a career in healthcare was personal.
In 2019, Landen lost his grandmother and aunt to cancer, and both were very important people in his life. Their passings were within two months of one another.
“When my grandma was sick, I went over to her house nearly every day after school,” Landen said. “It was during that time I discovered I love to help people. I realized I wanted to help make a difference in people’s lives during difficult times and make a career out of it.”
Long-term, Landen’s big goal is to eventually become a nurse practitioner, open his own practice and provide care for oncology patients. After he graduates from the LPN program in July 2026, he will need to earn a registered nursing degree, obtain a bachelor’s degree and then a Nurse Practitioner degree.
For now, Landen is employed at Avera as a patient care technician.
“I take vitals, help the patients get their walks in for the day and make sure bed-bound patients are repositioned every few hours to prevent sores,” Landen said.
Although Landen is primarily assigned to the oncology floor, which coincidently, is the same floor his grandmother was on, he has also floated to the brain and spine, ICU and cardiology and pulmonary floors.
Landen is also a recipient of the Build Dakota Scholarship and is sponsored by Avera. The Build Dakota
Scholarship covers 100% of a student’s tuition, books, uniforms and fees. He learned about the scholarship from his high school guidance counselor in Beresford and decided to apply.
Just two days after Landen submitted his scholarship application, he started receiving calls from industry sponsors. He interviewed with Avera, Monument Health and Sanford Health.
“I ended up choosing Avera because they took care of my grandma while she fought her cancer, and I saw firsthand how much they care for their patients,” Landen said. “They also offer continuous learning opportunities, which definitely interest me.”
“Once I had the Build Dakota scholarship, the decision to attend STC was an easy one,” Landen said. “I asked myself if I wanted to graduate with student loan debt or without student loan debt. I chose no debt.”
Plus, attending Southeast Technical College allows Landen to stay close to home, live with his mom and save more money.
“My mom is a single mom, and we don’t have a lot of extra money,” Landen said. “Without the Build Dakota Scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to afford college.”
When Landen is not studying or working, he enjoys spending time with his grandfather and working on their motorcycles.
“For the past five years, we have been doing memorial runs,” Landen said. “We have been to Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Lolo Pass in Idaho and down Highway 101 along the coast of Oregon and Washington state.”
With the help of STC and the Build Dakota Scholarship, Landen is well on his way to achieving his long-term goals and creating a future filled with purpose.
For new students interested in applying for the Build Dakota Scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year, the application will be live from Jan. 1-March 31, 2025.
Build Dakota Scholarships STC LPN Program
December 30, 2024