Makayla Anderson ’25 | Bismarck, North Dakota
Major/Minors: English Writing; Business, Multimedia Journalism

Makayla Anderson ’25 grew up splitting her time between Bismarck, North Dakota, and a small farm just outside the city. She said she got the best of both worlds between the city’s bustle and the country’s quiet. Now, she splits her time between basketball, where she is a team leader, and , where she is editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper.

Anderson has been playing basketball at Concordia since her freshman year. However, she didn’t start writing for The Concordian until her junior year and became editor-in-chief her senior year.

“At the beginning, it was really hard to juggle both (basketball and The Concordian), but I have a very understanding coach. Sometimes, it can still be difficult but with the support system I have it works out,” she said.

Finding the Right Fit

She remembers when Erin Hemme Froslie, the faculty advisor for The Concordian and instructor of multimedia journalism, asked her to apply for the position. Anderson was deep into the basketball season and didn’t think she’d have time to take on the work. Hemme Froslie encouraged her to apply anyway to see if she’d enjoy it.

“When I was offered the job, I remember feeling like I wasn’t the right person, but my mom ended up convincing me I could handle everything,” she said. “I don’t regret taking it for a single second. I just have so much love for The Concordian.”

It took Anderson time to discover her passion for journalism. She entered college undecided and said she has changed her major at least three times. Originally, she was taking several political science courses but ended up switching to business.

She liked the classes she was taking, but eventually began to feel burnt out. Sophomore year, Anderson took a global perspectives course with Dr. Amy Watkin and that was the start of her journey as an English writing major.

“One time, Dr. Watkin wrote at the bottom of my paper, ‘Come talk to me after class.’ She told me I had great writing skills and wanted to know why she hadn’t seen me before,” she said.

This inspired Anderson to switch her major to English writing halfway through her college experience. Junior year was when she started taking classes to fulfill her new major. The first course she took was Foundations in Creative Writing, quickly followed by News Writing and Feature Writing.

“In Foundations in Creative Writing, I discovered I was really bad at fiction writing,” she said. “After taking the journalism classes with Erin, I discovered I enjoyed the field. My strength is definitely traditional journalistic writing, which I prefer to broadcasting or video journalism.”

One of her favorite aspects of the English writing program at Concordia is the way students can craft the major to their skills. There are many options to explore — from journalistic and nonfiction writing to fiction writing and poetry.

“Concordia makes it easy to find that path and not just get stuck doing something you don’t love,” she said. “The writing courses I’ve taken allow a lot of intersectionality with my multimedia journalism minor.”

Balancing Life as a Student-Athlete

Anderson wasn’t confident during her college search. She applied to 12 different schools because she didn’t know where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do. During her last year of high school, Anderson had narrowed her search down to two options including Concordia.

Her decision ultimately came down to scholarship opportunities and legacy. One day, Anderson received an email that said she had received a Presidential Gold Scholarship, the highest for academic achievement.

“My mom was the assistant principal at my high school, so when I got that email I had to power walk down to her office and show her,” Anderson said. “She was super excited and asked me, ‘Are you going to go there?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go there. Of course, I am!’”

Her mother’s excitement was partly because she is a Cobber grad. In fact, Anderson’s aunt and great-aunt also attended Concordia. When Anderson committed, her great-aunt sent her a handwritten letter. She remembers it was in cursive and a little hard to read.

“She told me she played basketball here before we had our first women’s basketball team. She and five other girls took a van to Jamestown and played in the first-ever unofficial scrimmage of women’s basketball for Concordia,” Anderson said. “It’s really cool to be a part of a legacy like that and now, however many years later, I’m playing on the women’s basketball team.”

Anderson said she wasn’t very good at basketball in high school. When she was recruited for Concordia, she told herself she’d try it for one year and reevaluate how she felt. After that year, she decided to stick with the sport because of the community the team and coaches created.

“My is like my family and sisters for life,” she said.

All the women on the team have the “Riff Off” from “Pitch Perfect” memorized and, when they’re in a group, Anderson said they all sing it together. She said it’s a goofy tradition, but it’s fun to share something like that with others.

“Girls graduated last year, but no one quit. I think that really goes to show that our program is one girls really want to be a part of,” she said. “We’re all best friends.”

mentors her team not only on basketball but also on life, Anderson said. Wagers tries to teach the team how to handle issues and stressful situations in basketball and show how those skills can be transferred to real-life scenarios.

Concordia is the best place to be a student-athlete. Hands down. — Makayla Anderson

Anderson mentioned how everyone at Concordia from coaches to professors recognizes that student-athletes have a lot to juggle. Her English professors always ask how her games went, and her coaches always ask about her academics and how things are going at The Concordian.

This balance is part of what makes the team so great in Anderson’s opinion. Last year, the women’s basketball team was 18th in the nation for team GPA.

The team celebrates all accomplishments together. Anderson became the 12th Cobber to score 1,000 points and complete 500 rebounds in their basketball career.

“When it happened, my entire team was so excited for me and it wasn’t fake enjoyment either. It was incredible to experience their sheer joy at my accomplishments,” she said. “That whole thing doesn’t feel real to me and I don’t know if it ever will. I just like playing basketball and being on the court.”

Creating Community

This sense of community is something Anderson feels every time she’s on campus. She said she doesn't walk through campus without seeing several people she knows and stopping to say hi or catch up. This is also why she loves the Cobber class rings.

“I used to wait tables in Fargo and there were so many people who would say that they used to be a Cobber or knew a Cobber,” she said. “It’s such an easy conversation starter right off the bat.”

Even taking over the editor-in-chief role at The Concordian has shown Anderson how much Cobbers want to help each other succeed. During times of stress, she said she would text the person who had the role before her and ask for help.

“She’d respond within a few minutes to help and reassure me,” Anderson said. “She’s all the way down in Colorado right now, so it was nice that she was willing to help me whenever I needed it.” 

Students who want to get involved at The Concordian don’t need to have any journalism experience. The newspaper is always looking for students with diverse interests to report on different aspects of campus life. Anderson said that students should have fun writing and pursue their passions.

“For me, it’s all about seeing that sparkle in my writers’ eyes when they’re talking about a piece and you can tell their face lights up,” she said.

Anderson prides herself on being a leader both on the court and in The Concordian newsroom. Before she became editor-in-chief, she only had to worry about writing her articles and meeting her deadlines. Now, she is the person students come to when they have questions. She said she tries to emulate those she’s always looked up to, including Kaity Young, the editor who worked with Anderson while she interned at The Forum newspaper.

“Oftentimes when I’m stuck, I ask myself, ‘What would Kaity do?’ She was a great mentor,” Anderson said.

Internship Experience 

While working for the local newspaper, Anderson was in charge of writing stories and briefs. She was also responsible for coverage on Horace’s city council. She covered the election and said it was the first time she had to look at the polls and discover who won instead of just checking the news the next morning. She said there was a great balance of independence and support.

“Within the first week or two, you’re writing articles and they’re being published by The Forum. I even came up with my own story ideas,” she said. “But whenever I hit a roadblock or didn't know where a story was going, I’d go to my editor, Kaity Young, and she was the best person ever. It was like riding a bike; every time I fell down, someone would be there to help me get back up.”

Working at The Forum newspaper gave Anderson space to hone her writing skills and grow as a journalist. She said she looked at her writing on the first day versus the last and could see how much it had changed for the better.

The internship also highlighted Anderson’s favorite aspect of journalism — the variety.

“Journalism is all about discovering an individual’s story and every single day is different,” she said. “The journalism classes at Concordia make you think totally outside the box; you take away a little something extra each day.”

^{Published March 2025}