From western S.D., nursing student finds full-ride scholarship, career connections at Southeast Technical College

This piece is sponsored by Southeast Technical College.

Ben Amundson thrives in some of healthcare’s most difficult environments.

The licensed practical nurse wants to be caring for patients in an emergency department. As he works toward becoming a registered nurse and eventual certified registered nurse anesthetist, he has visions of serving in an intensive care unit.

“I thrive under pressure,” he said.

Amundson is following a lead set by his older sisters, who are 10 years older than he is and are both nurses.

While still in high school in Wall in western South Dakota, he became a certified nursing assistant at Philip Health Services, a critical access hospital that gave him early exposure to patient care.

“It’s like a 10-bed, two-ER-bed critical access hospital, which got me some emergency room experience,” he said. “That sold me on wanting to move to Sioux Falls and get big-city ER experience, and that’s what I’m doing in my nursing role.”

When it came time to decide on a college path, Southeast Technical College stood out.

Amundson already had a connection to Sioux Falls through his brother and liked the idea of being closer to him. A campus visit helped make the decision.

“I toured the facility in high school and got connected with Southeast,” he said. “They made me feel very welcome and showed me around the nursing simulation lab, and all that really caught my eye. I figured Southeast would be the best fit for me.”

He graduated from Wall High School in 2024 and entered Southeast Tech’s nursing program.

“I had three friends from Wall who went into the same nursing program, which was really fun,” he said. “Two were Build Dakota scholars as well, and we were all just thinking of doing the same exact thing, so it was like, why not live together?”

Amundson earned his LPN in May 2025 and became licensed that July. Thanks to dual-credit courses he completed in high school, many of his general education requirements already were finished, allowing him to move through the program efficiently.

He now is enrolled in Southeast Tech’s RN program and is expected to graduate in December 2027.

The pace has been demanding, he said, but also rewarding.

“It was tough. They ask a lot of you, but you have so many resources,” Amundson said. “Since there are fewer spots than a typical four-year school, you get more specific attention. They truly care about who you are and who you’re going to be.”

The instructors also have stayed connected beyond the classroom.

“My LPN instructors still come up and say hi and ask about life and how I’m doing,” he said. “It makes me feel like more than a number.”

One of the program’s biggest advantages, he said, has been Southeast Tech’s hands-on training, especially in the Healthcare Simulation Center. It opened in 2024 and was designed as a “mini hospital” where students could practice in spaces that mirror real healthcare settings.

The center includes simulated emergency room, intensive care, clinical exam, surgical suite, hospital patient room and medical laboratory spaces, along with high-fidelity simulator manikins, virtual reality systems and interactive learning modules.

For Amundson, that environment made a difference quickly.

“That is so critical,” he said. “It made me feel so much more comfortable in what I do now. I stepped into orientation on day one, and I knew how to throw an IV in. I knew how to do my skills. That simulation lab is basically like the real thing.”

Amundson’s path also has been shaped by the Build Dakota Scholarship, which provides full-ride scholarships to students in high-need workforce areas. He was selected as a Build Dakota scholar and is partnered with Avera McKennan, which serves as his industry sponsor.

Through the scholarship, Build Dakota and Avera each cover part of his education, and Amundson has committed to work for Avera for three years after completing the program.

The opportunity has been life-changing, he said.

“Build Dakota was so critical,” Amundson said. “Having financial security even now — I live alone and have a car payment, and I don’t worry about the stress of paying for school. I don’t have student loan payments, which is very nice, and it’s not something to worry about in the future.”

Avera also helped him take the next step in his career.

As a student, Amundson wanted a part-time patient care technician role to get his foot in the door while continuing school. Through his Build Dakota connection, he was alerted to an opening in an Avera McKennan emergency department.

He got the role and later transitioned into an LPN position in the same department.

“I wanted to get involved in a patient care tech job while I was in school,” he said. “I had a passion for the ER, but it’s a competitive spot.”

Because the team already knew him, the connection helped create another opportunity after graduation.

“I am in that same ER with my nursing role because they knew me,” he said. “They got me into a role we didn’t currently have.”

The experience has reinforced what Amundson already believed about nursing: It offers many different paths.

“It’s not just one box you check,” he said. “With a nursing degree, you can go all sorts of routes with the way you want to help people.”

For now, he is gaining experience in the emergency department while continuing toward his RN. Not only that, he’s already become a standout employee, earning a Nurse of the Year nomination and other accolades in his first year.

“Ultimately, my goal is to be a CRNA, an anesthesia provider, and Avera is very open to my dreams and goals, and willing to help me get in the right direction,” he said.

Southeast Tech also has provided a community that has made the transition from western South Dakota to Sioux Falls easier.

Coming in with friends helped, but “I also made many really close, good friends I will stay in touch with the rest of my life,” he said.

As he continues the RN program, much of the coursework builds on the foundation he already gained through his LPN training.

“You kind of do your time for LPN, and RN is a little easier because you’re building on a foundation,” he said. “I’m excited to do that and excel in my career.”

For students considering nursing, Amundson said Southeast Tech offers a strong mix of support, challenge and hands-on preparation.

“I had a great time,” he said. “If I could go back, I would.”

To learn more about Southeast Technical College nursing programs and scholarship opportunities, visit southeasttech.edu.