About Steve 

My name is Steve Berard and I am a TRiO instructor/advisor at BSU.  As a first generation college student, I earned a bachelor’s degree in English from a state college in Massachusetts that is similar to BSU in its size, demographics, and picturesque setting.  For graduate school, I was looking for a large school experience so I attended Indiana University, a Big Ten institution with an enrollment of over 40,000 students.  I earned a master’s degree in Education at IU.

Prior to settling in Bemidji, I taught English to international students at the University of Arkansas and the University of California-Riverside.  I also taught English overseas with the Peace Corps in Yemen, at a language institute in Kuwait, and at a university in Japan.  I have always tried to take advantage of opportunities to gain cross-cultural experience and I encourage TRiO students to do the same.  The International Program Center at BSU offers a number of excellent study abroad programs for you to explore.

While at BSU, I spent seven years working with TRiO/Upward Bound.  It was very rewarding to help high school students overcome challenges in order to achieve their dream of becoming college students and, eventually, college graduates.  Now that I am part of the TRiO/Student Support Services staff team, I have become passionate about helping TRiO/SSS students at BSU be successful.  If you interested in finding out how our program could help you, please visit with me in Sanford #16.