Since last year, sophomore Patrick Kadrmas, a social science education and history double major, has interviewed NDSU President David Cook three times on NDSU’s student-run radio station, KNDS.
During those interviews Kadrmas has learned valuable leadership lessons and has gotten to know Cook beyond his role as NDSU’s 15th president.
The idea of interviewing Cook for his radio segment was first conceptualized as a fun idea, but nothing more than that. After sharing his idea with academic advisor Kelsey Seeba, Kadrmas learned that getting Cook on KNDS wasn’t as hard as he initially thought.
Upon reaching out directly, Kadrmas received confirmation that Cook was happy to be interviewed.
“Things started rolling from there. It was early in finals week of 2023 that I was able to interview President Cook, and after that he told me to reach out if I wanted him on again. That’s how we met in the spring semester and again this year,” Kadrmas said.
The first interview with Cook entailed a get-to-know you segment where Kadrmas asked Cook to introduce himself and his goals for the upcoming semester. Kadrmas’ second interview with Cook outlined Cook’s top priorities for NDSU and highlighted some of the exciting things going on around campus at the time.
Kadrmas said Cook’s down-to-earth personality and student-focused mindset are what make him an outstanding president.
“With how busy he is, I was surprised with how much he’s juggling, but he still makes the time for the students. Whether it’s academics, being interviewed or just being present at athletic events,” he said. “I think it’s great to have someone like him in office pushing the university forward.”
Cook has even served as a mentor to Kadrmas, who remembers the nerves he felt around taking his first finals when he interviewed Cook for the first time.
“His words of advice were ‘you got this,’ and he gave me some steps to make sure I was well prepared and ready to go especially since I have really bad testing anxiety,” Kadrmas said.
Kadrmas welcomed Cook and wife Kate Cook to his segment on Oct. 30. Instead of serving as the interviewer, Kadrmas was the interviewee, answering questions about his time at NDSU and the experience he has had so far.
"It was great to have President Cook back on the radio and to introduce Mrs. Cook, along with the important role she plays here at NDSU,” Kadrmas said. “Being interviewed by the Cooks was a great experience and they enjoyed learning a bit more about their interviewer.”
Throughout the rest of the academic year, Kadrmas wants to expand his radio guest list to include faculty from various disciplines, staff from the many departments across campus and students involved in student organizations. Kadrmas’ goal for his segment is to make students aware of all the resources available to them.
“It’s good to push the word out because there’s some campus resources that I’m just now starting to learn about as a second-year student,” he said.
Anyone interested in setting up an interview with Kadrmas can fill out a sign-up form.
Ensuring others are finding resources they need to be successful has been a top priority for Kadrmas, who outside of his KNDS involvement works as a career mentor in NDSU’s Career and Advising Center. In his role, Kadrmas helps students and alumni craft resumes, cover letters and find job opportunities. Kadrmas also is a student senator representing the College of Arts and Sciences.
Among the many things Kadrmas loves about NDSU is the strong community, along with how passionate people are about success.
“The welcoming environment here shows that everyone knows that you’re human, but they also expect this drive for excellence and academics. That’s what I love. It has that perfect balance between the two,” said Kadrmas, who is from Fargo.
Kadrmas said NDSU was his top choice for college after seeing the important role the institution has in the community.
“NDSU is so integral to the Fargo-Moorhead community, whether it be the Homecoming parade and seeing the whole community rally with NDSU, whether it’s Bison football, or any other Bison events,” Kadrmas said.
After he graduates Kadrmas wants to remain in Fargo and become a high school educator with the hope of impacting future students as much as Cook has done for him.
“I want to educate the future generations, help them get ready for their future and hopefully be that steppingstone,” Kadrmas said.
