Work Ready Bootcamp:
Over the past two years, the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce has expanded its program offerings to include South Dakota State University students in hopes to keep more students in the Brookings area following their time on campus.
One initiative that the Chamber has started is a Work Ready Bootcamp. This is a free program for students that aims to bridge the gap between academia and the professional world. Four sessions will help SDSU juniors, seniors and graduate students throughout the spring semester.
The first session already took place and covered Brookings as a whole and what it has to offer. The second session will be about professional communication in the workplace, the third session will talk about financial literacy, and the last one will be about career preparation tips and tricks.
This is a great way to “bring speakers to the students,” Casey Stickland, outreach coordinator for the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce, said.
There are currently 20 students in the Work Ready Bootcamp. In the future, they will be accepting up to 30 students. All sessions include a light supper and are held for two hours on Monday nights.
“The program’s main goal is to connect students with Brooking’s professionals and businesses in the hope of making connections to have them stay after graduation, hopefully,” Stickland said. “9.5% of students plan to stay, and we want to close that gap.”
While the Work Ready Bootcamp registration is closed, keep an eye out for how to register for the following spring semester.
Stay tuned for upcoming events that the Chamber helps to put on.

Young Professionals Summit:
Another program that the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce is offering for the first time is the Young Professionals Half-Day Summit.
The Young Professionals Half-Day Summit is an opportunity for young professionals in the area, especially South Dakota State University students, to network and grow their professional skills.
The keynote speaker, Lena Scullard, will share invaluable insights on how to level up leadership. Her talk will dive into the essence of leadership at any level, motivating those around you to enhance their skills, effort, and contributions, and more.
Following the inspiring keynote, attendees will be able to choose three out of four practical breakout sessions. These sessions cover essential topics such as understanding human needs, mastering authentic networking, building confidence as a young professional and effectively managing burnout.
Students can register at brookingschamber.org, and the registration fee is $25. Students must show their student IDs when they show up to the event, which is taking place at the Dacotah Bank Center. Check-in starts at noon, and Lena Scullard will speak at 1 p.m.
This is the first year this event will take place, but the program has been in the works for three years. For these past three years, “we have been flushing out how we want it to work,” said Stickland.
Everyone will be given swag bags upon entry, so attendees just need to bring themselves. Regarding seating, students are allowed to sit anywhere as long as a table has not been bought. .
Although the event is called “Young Professionals Summit,” this event has takeaways for everyone, according to Stickland.
“The keynote speaker is talking about being a leader at any level,” Stickland said. “There is so much to learn from people in our community, and this is a great opportunity to take advantage of that.”
After the event, there will be a social hour downtown for all attendees. The location for the social hour is not yet set, but everyone is encouraged to go.
Registration closes Thursday, April 11 at 5 p.m.