Their Success is Her Success

When asked why she does what she does, Anne Karabon’s answer can be summed up in one word: students.

Her impactful work as the Wendell and Marlys Thompson Director of the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development is making a difference not only for the current students that Anne interacts with, but the students her Jackrabbits will someday teach following graduation.

In effect, the endowed position Anne currently serves will be felt for generations, matching the nature of the gift that created the role in the first place; endowments are gifts to the university that provide perpetual support.

It was the endowed directorship that first drew Anne to South Dakota State University in the summer of 2022, and, since her arrival, she’s made tremendous progress in growing the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development (ECHD).

Anne has acted as a trailblazer since setting foot on campus, spearheading countless initiatives to elevate opportunities within the school. In addition to hiring several new and diverse faculty members to help implement change, she has been instrumental in driving progress for the future Thompson Wellbeing Center.

Most notably, Anne followed in the footsteps of Dean Emeritus Paul Barnes to maintain momentum in the university’s goal to add degrees in special education and elementary education.

The goal was tremendously significant for SDSU overall. Adding the two new degrees represented a gauntlet long held by previous Jackrabbit faculty – 144 years in the making, to be exact.

The implementation of those long-awaited programs is just one example of the impact an endowed position can hold, but with the power of perpetual support, Anne Karabon is just getting started.

We caught up with her to learn more about her journey to SDSU: her experience so far at State, why she chose to pursue the field of education, and how the biggest lesson she’s imparting on her students is how to make a remarkable difference, as all the best educators do.

What inspired you to join your current field?

"From a young age, I was fascinated by watching young children explore, make sense of the world, learn, and grow. I enjoyed observing the development of language and cognition when children were playing. I believed in this authentic desire to understand how it was happening, what worked, and how I could help lay the foundation for being an early childhood education researcher."

What is your favorite thing about SDSU?  

"I love it when the students come back in August. The buzz of faculty preparing for classes, increased foot and bike traffic on campus, seeing students in hammocks across from Wenona Hall, and having a full campus excites me. There is a palpable feeling of new beginnings and opportunity to generate new knowledge."

What has been one of your most inspirational moments or experiences to date since starting at SDSU? 

"Witnessing the strong sense of the community. Everyone has pride in this place, and it is refreshing. On and off campus, people embrace the Jackrabbit spirit. When we were preparing the elementary education and special education degree proposals, I witnessed how people rallied behind us. It wasn't just about having new degree pathways for undergraduates; it was going to be a benefit to society. The community were, and continue to be, our cheerleaders – and we made it happen! The genuine support inspires me to continue to do the hard and necessary work."

How has holding this endowed position made a difference for your career?

"The endowment is a prestigious role that has allowed me to advance in my career. There is a strong component of mental health and wellbeing with my endowed position. It has challenged me to expand my research and scholarship portfolio and collaborate with other disciplines to address wellbeing in the state."

What projects have you been able to complete so far because of the endowed support?

"From day one, it has been a goal of mine to enhance and promote all programs in the school. The team here is strong, and I am eager to highlight this work across campus and with the community. In addition to welcoming several new faculty and staff, we have a number of graduate student assistants who work on faculty research projects, help with teaching courses, and organize school-led events.

Through endowment support, I was able to extend an assistantship position to an international graduate student, Laura Valencia. Laura applied twice to SDSU – once prior to the pandemic and again last fall – because she wanted to work with our premier faculty. For some international graduate students to attend SDSU, a secured work appointment with the institution accelerates their visa to attend school in the United States. With the endowed funds, I was able to offer her a position as a graduate assistant working with me on mental wellness and wellbeing initiatives. Laura is now a graduate student in Counseling and Human Resource Development. She moved to Brookings in January and continues to impress.

A future project that Laura and I are excited to roll out is a trauma-informed pedagogy workshop and youth resiliency initiative. The aim is to support educators and those who work with youth to understand how trauma impacts learning, development, and wellbeing. Two outcomes are to reinforce an asset-based perspective of how resilient young people are and impart strategies of how to promote youth empowerment. The initiative will host nationally recognized scholars at SDSU to present research findings and effective strategies to establish a foundation for the workshop."

It had long been a goal of the university to add elementary education and special education degrees. What does it mean to you for SDSU to finally have reached that goal?

"It has positioned SDSU to be even more of a leader in the state for teacher education. As of October 1, 2023, we have 73 students who have declared elementary education as a major. Eleven of these students are in their third year at SDSU and are expected to graduate in Spring 2025."

You’ve made several references to changemaking and being a change maker when it comes to describing your work. What changes do you hope to see in the field of education, counseling, and human development?

"I hope to see continued collaborations of scholarship within the School of ECHD. Each program and unit within the school – from exploratory studies to the child and family resource network – plays a key role in holistically approaching societal change. We have a wealth of knowledge from varied perspectives in the school. It is my role to bring brilliant and passionate people together to find ways to advance the fields of education, counseling, and human development."

In spite of her impressive portfolio of initiatives and projects, Anne is far from being all work and no play. When not driving change for the School of ECHD, she can be found racing triathlons, off-roading in her Jeep, enjoying the great outdoors, and feasting on meals made by her partner, Matt.

She also finds time in her schedule to soak in the milestone moments for her students, the ones they’ll look back on as career-defining. In the fall of 2023, she joined Jackrabbits in their first classes for the new elementary education and special education programs. To commemorate the evening, the group gathered around for a photo session, reflecting on the future education students who might look back on the photos 50 years from now: poking fun at their hair, commenting on dated clothing – and recognizing how the inaugural students, along with the faculty who piloted the programs, made history.

“It was a proud moment for me to be a part of that experience and to have played a key role in helping make this happen,” reflects Anne. “Their success is my success.”