Andrea Johnson/MDN From left to right, Minot State University women’s basketball players Brie Smestad, Bethany Theodore, Haley Hildenbrand, Calli Delsman, and Brenna Tschetter speak to girls in the afterschool Girl Power club at Sunnyside Elementary on Thursday about the importance of going to college.

Girls in the afterschool Girl Power club at Sunnyside Elementary learned about the importance of planning for college Thursday when members of the Minot State University women’s basketball team visited.

Team members Brie Smestad, Bethany Theodore, Haley Hildenbrand, Calli Delsman, and Brenna Tschetter spoke about their own experiences and fielded questions from the girls about what college is like.

Theodore, who is from Australia, explained that she had studied at a junior college in Texas for two years before she transferred to Minot State. MSU has a great business program, she said.

Smestad told the girls that she plans to become an orthodontist and scholarships help keep college costs down.

Tschetter, the only one from Minot, said she had always planned on going out of state to college and did attend the University of Nebraska for a year, but came back to North Dakota because she really missed her family. It turned out to be a great decision, she said, and she is still getting a great education at an affordable price. She also will spend part of the spring semester studying abroad in the Czech Republic. She told the girls that MSU offers lots of opportunities for study abroad, which also will help with future career opportunities.

Kevin Harmon, vice president of student affairs, said this is the second season that the women’s basketball team has visited the group for girls at Sunnyside.

The MSU women’s basketball team will also host the Girl Power Club during a home game on Jan. 17 at MSU.

The Girl Power group is intended to empower girls. Kids have heard from different speakers, such as women who have nontraditional careers, and also have raised money for important causes. The group is led by some Sunnyside teachers.