NDSU PROVIDED the path to true passion

i“I like solving people puzzles,” she says. “I really enjoy looking for ways to improve instances where a business or employee feels stuck or slowed down. I like nding ways to make work easier for the team, and for individuals to have autonomy to construct their work in a way that is best for them. They are usually big messy problems and take a lot of communication — mostly listening — to solve, but I nd it really rewarding.”

Stoecker’s career began in fundraising. But when she decided to pursue a master’s degree in communication at North Dakota State University, she learned her true passion for organizational and strategic communication.

She now works as a program manager at Razor Consulting Solutions, a minority and woman owned business that provides professional services and custom technology solutions to a wide variety of clients.

The NDSU communication program not only helped Stoecker nd a new, ful lling career, but also provided tools for future success. While consulting on a business case for a presentation, Stoecker was able to pull research from academic resources learned during her time at NDSU to make the case. This application of knowledge is just one example of how her master’s degree turned theoretical knowledge into practical implementation.