Trap | 5/12/2026 10:38:00 AM

CROOKSTON, Minn. - On a crisp morning on the Minnesota Crookston campus, laughter emanates near the playground as a group of young children play games, and right in the middle of it you will find "Mr. Hunter" as the students call him. With his tall frame, and wry smile, Hunter Pierson, a Saint Hilaire, Minn., native, has become a beloved and respected mentor for the students at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at the University of Minnesota Crookston. The recently graduated Pierson is pursuing a career as a teacher, but the journey to get to his desired vocation has had trials.

Pierson first realized he wanted to become a teacher towards the end of his high school education at Lafayette High School in Red Lake Falls, Minn. He was originally set on becoming an engineer, but as he dug into the coursework it would require, Pierson decided to pivot. It was through his work in an after-school program where he first discovered teaching might be the path for him.

"I got to work with kids, help them with homework, give them snacks and keep an eye on them outside while they are playing," Pierson said. "That is what really set it in motion (wanting to become a teacher). I have very good family friends who are also teachers. One of them is a special ed teacher, and they have seen my personality flourish working with younger kids."

Pierson graduated high school in 2019 and originally pursued his collegiate education at Bemidji State University. Unfortunately during his time at BSU, the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, so he decided to take a break from his education. During his time off from college Pierson worked at a hardware store and for a year-and-a-half worked as a special education paraeducator, which furthered his desire to become a classroom teacher.

"For my year-and-a-half experience I had there, it really set everything in stone," Pierson stated. "I want my own classroom, I want to be able to make an impact with not just one student but an entire class. I got to see how I impacted just a few students through my para work. But now I can do that on a larger scale."

Pierson returned to college in 2023 and began pursuing his elementary education degree from the University of Minnesota Crookston. A big opportunity he took that helped him grow as an educator was working at the Early Childhood Development Center on campus.

"Getting to run the classroom over the summer, you get to see what it would feel like without being through the program," Pierson stated. "I got a glimpse into the future. The early childhood center helped with some of my practicums too."

Pierson has thoroughly enjoyed his experience as an elementary education student at Minnesota Crookston. The professors have set him up for future success, and have supported him through thick and thin.

"I'm not the perfect student, but all of my professors have made an impact. Shari Daniels, my advisor, is the one I look up to the most. Her and James Foss. They've all pushed me and told me they could see I could be a great teacher through my personality and how I work at the early childhood center. They have kept pushing me to make sure I get my coursework done. They want to see me become the teacher they have witnessed me becoming throughout the program. All the teachers are so supportive of all the students in the ed program they don't want anyone to fall behind, so they keep pushing us to do our best."

Early in his time in the program he struggled to find his niche being a male in a mostly female major, but as time has ticked on, he has realized the importance of encouraging more males to pursue careers in education.

"My first year here I kind of felt out of place," Pierson remarked. "There weren't a lot of guys in the ed program. It was maybe three male students, around my grade level. It was really hard. That is also why we should keep pushing because there are not a lot of guys in the ed program.  Being able to work at the early childhood center, being able to go to my practicums, it is so good for these students to have a positive male figure especially if they might not have one at home."

While his education has been the major focus at Minnesota Crookston, Pierson has also had the opportunity to compete on the trap shooting team at Minnesota Crookston. Prior to coming to Crookston, he hadn't shot competitively but the opportunity was present to join the club and grow as a competitor.

"My Dad had brought up that he saw I had this spark and interest in trap shooting," Pierson remarked." "UMC has this available as a club sport. I was able to give it a try, our coach Anne (Prudhomme) does a very good job in terms of allowing walk-ons, no matter what your level is, and she will work with you to find what you need to work on to be a good athlete. I went from my first day shooting threes and sixes out of 25, to that first spring averaging 23's. In a matter of a week or two, I shifted gears. It has been a nice getaway from school even though it is only two miles from campus. It really works out with my schedule."

Pierson also embraced the opportunity to join the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Minnesota Crookston. He was active in events early on in his time, but decided to become a trap team representative during his junior and senior years.

"I figured I could be a rep because the trap team didn't have an active presence," Pierson said. "So I wanted to try to get the team involved more. We are kind of on the sidelines. We are not looked at a whole lot. We aren't a NCAA team, so we get put on the backburner I feel like. Being able to get the team involved in SAAC was huge. Getting them involved and working with the community and campus and the student body in general. It made me feel more like a leader. SAAC was important to get the team out there. I'm hoping from here on out the team will make a bigger name for themselves."

Pierson is so grateful for his opportunities within SAAC and the trap team because it allowed him to meet so many other people we would have otherwise never had contact with. It gave him a sense of community and belonging he wouldn't have otherwise experienced.

"As an ed major, most of my friends and classmates were girls," Pierson stated. "I didn't have a whole lot of male friends to hang out with. Through trap I was able to meet basically the whole natural resources department and make some friends outside of the elementary education realm. That led to me finding friends on the softball team, and some on the baseball team. It really opened the doors for me to get to know a lot more people on campus."

The biggest takeaway Pierson has of his time as a student at Minnesota Crookston is the importance of community. "No matter where I go for the ed program, where I go or any of my classmates go, in some shape or form all of us will be impacting our communities. Being able to volunteer my time and either read books to kids or being able to pick up garbage along the highway. All of these little things we do for the community has built me up as a person, this is stuff I can practice when I move away to another community and show what I was able to do here on campus."

Pierson's journey meandered through ups and downs to get where he is today, but the community he experienced at Minnesota Crookston, and the hands-on learning he received in the elementary education program has been one that will set him up for years of success. The children of the Early Childhood Development Center will surely look fondly on the positive impact Pierson made on their lives at a young age. It may take years to truly understand the love, and care he showed for them, but he will be able to make a positive impact on the lives of countless children for decades to come, and it began on the playgrounds and the classrooms at Minnesota Crookston.