Our Story

This is Our Story. What’s yours?

Our Story is a magazine dedicated to highlighting the creative works made by the incredible brains at Southeast Technical College.

In a college environment, it can be difficult to find a time and place to release your creativity, especially when trying to balance learning, homework, tests, social life, and a job. Our Story aims to be a safe place to get creative and to showcase some of the school’s best creative works of the year in a way that can be viewed and shared with students, staff, and families.

We hope that you enjoy all that this magazine comes to bring you, and that it can inspire you to find your creative side as well.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the same views of Our Story magazine or of STC as a whole. We encourage the artists’ submissions to be real and candid, so we are posting that work with minimal interference.

These stars shine!

Look for a star next to the caption of an image or the title of a written piece. These stars indicate our prize winners for various categories of work. A gold star represents our firstplace winners and a silver star will indicate the runner-up in that category.

Your work could win you a first place prize in next year’s edition, so start creating now!

Thank you to our 2024 sponsor, STC Foundation

The Southeast Technical College Foundation is proud to sponsor Our Story Literary Magazine’s first edition. The STC Foundation’s mission is to promote positive community and economic growth in the Sioux Empire and does so by working closely with students, staff, and local businesses.

By providing financial resources to support student scholarships, perpetuating faculty excellence, growing new and existing programs, and supporting the workforce needs of the region, the STC Foundation is instrumental in building careers and opportunities that leave a lasting impact on our community.

Thanks to the Foundation’s sponsorship, Our Story will be able to make a larger impact on the students, their families and friends, and the community around us.

You can learn more about the ways that the Southeast Technical College Foundation is impacting the Sioux Empire, by visiting www.southeasttech.edu/foundation

Above:

Photo by Opah Bah

Left:

Photo by Noel Perrin

I am a woman

Why am I being questioned constantly by the people

Of this society as if

We all don’t make the society

As if men bleed anymore red Than i do

I am a daughter

Why am I looked any different Than a son

As if I can’t give a respectful Name to the family

As if I can’t find a nice home

To settle into I am a mother

Sacrificing my body

My hopes and dreams

And my life

To give a life

Though, they’ve portrayed me

As if I am weak

As if we all don’t come From women

Look at me through

The eyes of love

I am a blessing, a gift I am a woman

The wound of ideology

Cuts right through

The skin of differences

Of you and I

We are not rivals

Individually we are whole

Together we are more

“I am a woman”

by Pabi Basnet

Below:

Photo by Opah Bah

Left:

Photo by Luke Ouren

Right:

Photo by Opah Bah

Somewhere on earth

Where the grass lies around us

The wind calling out our names

The birds singing to us

Lies there our sweet home

Just on top of the mountains

Full of love, hopes and dreams

The rainbow across the sky

Cries out of happiness

Knowing without the rain

She’d be lost and forgotten forever

I lie there in silence

Looking at the stars

Appreciating the beauty of life

I had wished for

It feels as if

This is all a dream

I have everything I ever wanted

In front of me

Yet, I feel deep sorrow

Knowing death is inevitable

We may die

Though my love for you

Shall live forever

“Somewhere on Earth”

by Pabi Basnet

Below:

Photo by Noel Perrin

Photo by Melanie Guevara

Above: “Piptar” Artwork by Erin Pazour

Someone told me that To get to the bigger picture You have to have The right puzzle pieces

Though, you’ve accompanied me To find half of those pieces

When we parted our ways No hurt in my heart, just the warmth Of the pieces we were able To put together

On each other’s board

Maybe I tried to force some pieces Into making it fit Now I can finally say You simply weren’t A piece, that completed my bigger picture

Though we were pieces In each other’s lives I wish nothing but a whole for you

“Someone told me” by Pabi Basnet

Below:

Photo by Opah Bah

Mirror mirror on the wall

I fell so deep into The darkness of the world

Tell me who is behind that wall

It’s a reflection of you my love

The world sucked me dry

Took the only thing that I had left of me

My reflection

Mirror mirror on the wall

It’s time I look again

With my vision and Not the world’s

“Mirror mirror” by Pabi Basnet

Above:

Photos by Opah Bah

I was a rainy night Yet, you opened your windows to me Even though I brought lightnings

You watched me in joy As if I brought you comfort When everyone else failed And feared me You found me soothing And fell asleep

In the sound of my thunderstorm

“I was a rainy night” by Pabi Basnet

Below:

Photo by Luke Ouren

Below:

Photo by Elizabeth Jensen @lizjensmedia on IG

Above:

Photo by Melanie Guevara

Below:

Artwork by Elizabeth Jensen @lizjensmedia on IG

Above:

Photo by Opah Bah

The sign glimmered, Words spelled out, Hotel Ritz, Observing the watch on my wrist, Strapping the camera on, Peeking through the lens, Pushing through men, Testing the components, Rumors I hear, Waiting for her to appear, Heels clicking on sidewalk, Lights flicker, Her and him bicker, Rushed into the black car, Flash noises were the only sound, Eyes of London weighed down, Speedometer rising, Car crashing, it wasn’t surprising, Weeping citizens lined the streets, She may have never played the part, But she was the queen of our hearts.

was

“She

Gone in a Flash” by Olivia Day Above: “TEARS” by Jessica Chau

There was a time Where

I’ve been at my lowest

With no support

A dark place

With no escape

From my reality

The thoughts I fought so much

Became my closest friend

Looking back now

Feels like everything changed

In the blink of an eye

Still in shock

Of how far I’ve come

The past may not have been

My choice

But the future shall be Once upon a time...

“There was a time” by Pabi Basnet

Below:

Photo by Opah Bah

I want the thrill of stolen glances our initials doodled on paper and carved in trees I want little love letters laying around your hand in mine, with our fingers intertwined so I don’t mind if I turn beet red if I stumble over sentences or syllables because at the end of it all most of all I want you “Lovesick” by Autumn Schreiber @autumnalvale on IG

Left and next page spread: Artwork by Elizabeth Jensen @lizjensmedia on IG

I remember seeing you

When I finally got the courage to visit you

In that chair you’ve had for ages

The one matching with grandma

I will always remember the way you stayed strong

Even though you knew time was creeping up on you soon

I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you finally got to see her-

Again

But even now I’m glad I didn’t have to see you leave

The way you were so desperately gasping for air

Will always haunt my mind

I wish I could have taken the pain from you

Praying to everyone that I had already lost For you to have a peaceful goodbye

Maybe they didn’t have that power

But I still wished endlessly, That for you they would

I hope that from time to time you look over me,

And are proud of what I’ve achieved

“Grandpa”

by Isabella Cooey

@Bella_Cooey_ on IG

When I saw you in that bed I thought the world was coming to an end

You always fought so hard I was mad to see that this was how you would meet your end

In the room made for people to leave It felt as if they were mocking me

I guess I never knew how much it would hurt me to see you leave

You were fragile and frail Laying in there

How was this fair?

I had to leave while you were still in there

When I got the call I wished it was for something much happier

But I knew you would be happy finally able to meet your maker

I hope you know that you still mean the world to me

And how much it hurt me to know you had to leave

“Grandma” by Isabella Cooey

@Bella_Cooey_ on IG

by Luke Ouren

Left:

Photos

Above:

“In Bloom” Photo by Autumn Schreiber @autumnalvale on IG

Right: “Ol’Mar” Artwork by Erin Pazour

by Andrew Payton

Below:

Photo by Luke Ouren

Above:

Photo by Melanie Guevara

“MegaAsh” Artwork

by Erin Pazour

The beauty of the moon

Resembling you

You’re worried and insecure

About the scars you hold

Forgetting there is beauty

Even in your scars

Just like the beautiful moon

It has its own scars

Yet, it still shines bright

Every night

“The beauty of the moon” by

Pabi Basnet

Left:

“Van

If I could be anything I’d be an art Of any form

I’d wanna be the painting You painted on the walls The poetry you wrote In your notes

I’d wanna be the photographs In your album

If I could be an art

I’d be your vision

I’d wanna be your voice

If i could be an art

I’d wanna be your mind

“If I could be anything” by Pabi Basnet

Above:

Snow” Artwork by James Gregg

Left: Artwork by Elizabeth Jensen @lizjensmedia on IG

Above: “JRipley” Artwork by Erin Pazour

“Monarch” Artwork by Jessica Chau

Above:

“No More Death Metal” by Annette Iesman

At 32 years of age, my mother picked up her entire life alongside my father, my older sister and I and aimed to start a better life in the United States. None of us spoke much English, only basic greetings and things like yes, no, and some phrases we had picked up from American TV. We had no connections except for four of my mom’s siblings and a cousin. Aside from her cousin, they all spoke very little English. America was a fresh start where we could start from ground zero and build our way up again in hopes of better opportunities.

I asked my mom to tell me about a time she had faced disappointment or failure and she physically stopped. She thought about it for a long moment.

“Disappointment or failure? When the apartments burned down, I’d say.” In 2012, only seven months after we had moved to the United States and settled down, the apartment complex that we lived in at the time caught fire. We lived on the second to last floor to the top where most of the damage had taken place. My sister and I were at school and my dad was at work. My mom was by herself when the landlord ran up several flights of stairs and urged her to evacuate. A week later, she found out she was three months pregnant. “I was sad,” she stated, “We lost everything we had.”

When I asked her how she overcame this, she contemplated for a bit. “By working hard to do everything all over

again.” With lots of support from family and our community, little by little, my parents began to rebuild the life that had been destroyed in the fire. I inquired about her motivations and without missing a beat, she answered “My kids.” My mom was determined to ensure that she could secure an adequate future for her present and future children.

I remember getting the awful news. I was seven at the time and my sister was about twelve or thirteen. The day had been just like any other until it was time to go home from school. My bus was oddly late, and eventually, the teachers said it wasn’t coming at all. We would be picked up by our parents because the bus route had been blocked off due to a fire. The thought that it was my home on fire never even crossed my mind. My mom’s cousin had driven my mom to pick me up and we headed to my sister’s school. Once we were all in the car, my sister asked what happened. In a shaky voice, my mom broke the news to us. The car had fallen into an eerie silence. For a long moment, no one moved or said anything. A lump rose to my throat until I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I began to cry. My mom begged me not to cry. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to hear me cry, but because that was the thing that broke her resilience. She was trying to stay strong for us, but she began to cry too. My sister followed soon after. My uncle comforted my mom in the front seat, and I hugged my sister tightly. I don’t know if it was to make her feel better or to make myself

feel better, but I clung to her like my life depended on it.

My sister and I took a few days off school to process the situation. We returned to school to find an abundance of support from our teachers and classmates. They had set up donation drives for clothes, shoes, and even toys and board games for us. We received cards and care packages signed by the community. I remember my teacher from the year before personally dropped off a gift for me. She had remembered that I loved art and got me a box filled to the brim with art supplies. That box stayed with me for years, even after all the crayons and paints had been used up.

I was able to persevere with the support of my entire community. It was thanks to my teachers and classmates that I had more than two outfits to wear. Without my uncle, we wouldn’t have had a home until we were able to get back on our feet. He housed my family, both of my uncles, my aunt, and my cousin who was four at the time. This experience taught me to be grateful and appreciate the things and connections I have now.

by Maria Davila

“Fresh Start”

Photos by Elizabeth Jensen @lizjensmedia on IG

Left:

“Ari” Artwork by Erin Pazour

Below:

“Rooster” Artwork by James Gregg

Love is something you cannot find at first sight, it’s not something you can buy or obtain like anything else. It is comforting and accepting, it’s caring beyond reason, to love is to live. It is beyond rationality, some say it’s just a chemical reaction in our brain but it’s more than that. It’s the light that shines through the rain. Love is the greatest pain to exist. It can always be created but rarely does it ever fully dissipate. And an absense of love is hate.

Love is built, earned, and shown not in the good times, but in the bad, when you lose someone, when it’s four in the morning and you’re puking your guts out from food poisoning and they are on the other side of the door ignoring what they’re hearing and preparing to hug you. Love is not created in the bright sunny days filled with long walks or between the sheets and each other, it’s forged in the heat of Hell while you hold them to your chest praying to God with every second that passes you two will make it out of the fire. Love overcomes every evolutionary instinct of self-preservation when you see your partner in danger and dive in front of a bullet because you’d rather die than lose them.

All of this is to say that I want to love.

“Love”

by Astro Beyer

Above:

Photo by Opah Bah

Left: Artwork by Tucker Kooiman

Above: Photo by Olivia Day

Photos by Opah Bah

Meet the Team

I’m Aaron Staples, a computer programming student. I can’t wait to do it again next year, so get creating everybody!

My name is Erin Pazour. I’m an aspiring artist and graphic designer who shoots for the stars.

James Gregg is another founding member of the team, along with being a talented writer, artist, and diesel technician.

I’m Patrick Frentz, an instructor at STC for Digital Media Production. My forte is character animation, especially in 2D.

I am Laura Cruse, an English teacher at STC. I believe that in order to live fully, we need to feel deeply. Writing and art are mediums that allow us to do exactly that.

Thank You!

From the team at Our Story Literary Magazine:

Thank you!

We sincerely hope that you enjoyed this first edition of Our Story. As a magazine that gathers its content from the students of STC, we literally couldn’t have done this without you!

We want to thank a few parties as we wrap up this publication. First, thank you to everyone who submitted their creative works, as we saw some incredible work from everyone! Next, we want to thank those who gave their support in making this magazine, from the students and staff who gave their input and feedback to our friends who helped us get things started off the ground, including our friends Bernie and Katie Hunhoff at South Dakota Magazine. Thank you to the administrative staff who helped us greenlight Our Story. Lastly, a huge thank you to each and every one of our readers.

This is where we flip the script, however, as like we said before, none of this could be possible without the incredible students at STC. As the next school year approaches, please encourage others to submit their writing, artwork, photography, and any other related media for our second edition!

A Year in Review with Netty2

Hi!

I’m glad you made it this far. I’m Netty2, a regular student who never ages, just like you. This was the first year for STC’s new literary magazine, Our Story, as part of a club that was launched, and we have so many clubs and organizations here, that I had a hard time deciding what to join. My top picks were SGA, Roots, Pride, Film Club, and Mindfulness. Maybe I would stretch myself a bit thin if I were to join them all... This year saw some crazy changes in technology. We can use AI to talk to, reference, create images and audio, and so much more. I don’t know what’s so special about artificial intelligence, since I’m definitely not run by it. Will AI create our news stories? Will it replace songwriters and artists? What about teachers, will they become obsolete? As far as I’m concerned, humans will always have one advantage over us AI systems - heart. Artificial intelligence can do many things, but it can’t replicate personal experiences, human intentionality, or passion. Those are what humans need to focus on as they grow together. So be intentional, be real, and be human.

That’s about all that I have time for in this segment. I look forward to seeing what will happen in our next edition! Ciao!

Cover Art created by Elizabeth Jensen