Scholarship Profiles - Hannah Johnson & Morgan Reiser
Dakota West applauds two more of our scholarship recipients: Hannah Johnson of Grenora and Morgan Reiser of Turtle Lake, both of whom are heading into their second year of college. These women rely heavily on Communication and shared their experiences on their applications.
Morgan studies Nursing at Dakota College at Bottineau but found herself in an unusual situation midway through her second semester. “I had left campus for spring break without my books, only carrying my laptop to check up on my classes. Soon, it was communicated across the state that students could not return to campus. I started to panic, as I had no books and now, I had to continue my education through online learning. If not for communication with the school, I would have had to navigate classes without my book. Thankfully, I was able to rush back to campus and grab my books and more clothes.”
Hannah, a two-time Dakota West Scholarship recipient, is making a career out of Communication at the University of North Dakota. “Currently, communication in the world has adapted from face-to-face interactions to other forms, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of being in a time of adapting to different circumstances or not, we should try to communicate effectively so the illusion that communication took place, is not a problem.” Hannah is also seeking a double major in Marketing.
We proudly recognize these young women as they continue their education here in North Dakota and thank them for being outstanding members of Dakota West Credit Union.
Watch for more individual profiles of these outstanding young members throughout the summer.
Get Help Getting Started Online
QUESTION: How many Dakota West members utilize online or mobile account services?
ANSWER: That’s a trick question – everyone has access to their accounts electronically, but you may not know all the features available to you. If you think online services aren’t your cup of tea, or you only use one or two features, we designed our new Online Access Resource Center to guide you through all our features you’d like to use, or get started using.
Starting today, you can learn about every feature of our online services, from logging on, to updating your address, to reviewing your statements. Our app is designed to give you access to your accounts all day every day, even outside of our branch hours. Our Online Access Resource Center provides answers and information when you need them.
All of these features are available directly to you, and you can use the Online Access Resource Center to get instructions, tips, and quick-reference guides to walk you through each service.
If you’d like a hand getting started using our online or mobile services, click here to access the site. Once you log in, you can look for the Help & User Guides link within the Settings to be taken directly to the Online Access Resource Center. And if you’d still like a little personal help online, we have a special team of Online Access Resource Team Members, but you know us better as Dakota West employees. Let us help you get started online.
Meet Sandy Bakke
If you’ve been a member of Dakota West for a spell, you’ve probably spoken with Sandy Bakke, the voice of our Card Services department. She’s been a fixture in our Watford City branch for more than a quarter of a century joining us at just the right time in her life.
“I was babysitting for someone who knew I was ready to not be babysitting anymore,” she recalls when she began at McKenzie County Credit Union. She started in the lobby of the former location across the street, which her current office now overlooks. Today she monitors the activity of all Dakota West debit and credit cards, tackles fraudulent alerts like a ninja, and shares her knowledge about the ways in which the credit union has grown into a modern financial institution.
Most of her time away from the branch is spent with family, whether close by, or across the state. When asked what she might be doing if she were not spending her days at Dakota West, she admits that not something she’s thought about for years. “Although, retirement is an option.”
Often she protects our members in ways they do not even recognize, such as identifying online transactions a member is attempting are actually originating abroad, which is automatically declined for the member’s protection. “They usually thank me for having that feature, because websites don’t always reveal when they operate overseas.” She values any time she receives words of gratitude.
For the experience and expertise she shares with our staff, and the effort she focuses every day on every card for every member, we thank you, Sandy!
Member Calendar - August 2020
Summer may be skipping right along, but August still features some of our favorite food days: National Watermelon Day and National S'mores Day. Get out there and enjoy those treats, plus make time to celebrate another tasty North Dakota favorite.
Hurry, though, our August Calendar also includes the first day of school for many students, so make the most of the Burgers in the Park, whether in Bowman or New England, or Ribfest in Watford City, or any way you like to grill up, slice up, or toast up your summer days!
