Abby Mitchell | Staff Intern
Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Adisen “Adie” Stadem spent most of her childhood moving about the state, from Howard to Baltic, before settling down in Dell Rapids with mother Sara and her younger brother Easton. An upcoming junior at Dell Rapids Public High School, Adie lives with her mother, brother and her two Shih Tzu puppies: energetic Walter and calm Kalli. At school, Adie is an active member of the school’s cross-county and track teams, wrestling statistician as well as vice-president of SQUAD (Supportive Quarriers United and Dependable), a program that helps special-needs students by working to form lasting friendships with SQUAD members.
After graduating high school, Adie plans to take a gap year in order to better financially prepare for college. She would like to attend Southeast Technical College (STC) or the University of South Dakota (USD). In terms of careers, Adie explained she is drawn to the path of either a canine police officer or a psychologist. Growing up with a separated family, Adie hopes she can use her experiences to help others going through a similar situation as she.
Outside of school, Adie enjoys watching One Tree Hill and Vampire Diaries, as well as organizing her room. She works a second job as a nanny and loves going for runs and hanging out with her friends. According to Adie, something most people may not know about her is that she can’t stand having the TV’s volume at an odd integer-it has to be even or a multiple of five (unless it’s 23, Michael’s Jordan’s jersey number). If she could, Adie would love to travel to Italy in order to experience the country’s unique culture and atmosphere. Furthermore, she would love to live in Washington D.C. after college in order to enjoy the city’s rich history.
As an intern at the Minnehaha Messenger, Adie accepted the job in order to further her at making herself invaluable to a college and earning a quality education. Second, she sees her new position as a chance to get out of her comfort zone and grow more comfortable speaking with strangers. She also loves taking pictures, and confesses that her favorite part of the job so far has been covering local baseball games and taking sports photos, something she hopes to be able to do more of in the future.