STC Alumni Found Hyperfocus Motion

There have been many times already, months into their journey as business owners, that Drysen Carsten and Courtney Haberl have come to the same conclusion.

Those things they learned in their college business program? They’re actually using them.

“I’ll catch myself as we’re building the business saying that I haven’t thought about some of these things since Southeast Tech. But it was so drilled into you, you remember it,” Haberl said.

“All the things we learned, we’re now implementing in our own world.”

The founders of Hyperfocus Motion, an animation and design studio, are Southeast Technical College grads. Carsten graduated in the second-ever class of animation technology students in 2011, and Haberl followed in 2016 with a degree in marketing with an emphasis on design.

They met working on agriculture-related content and decided to combine their skills to launch Hyperfocus Motion earlier this year. Here’s a look at projects they’ve been involved with:

“The ability to research and be the best of the best and be competitive and push myself is something I received at Southeast Tech, and now that we’re starting a company, we’re not content with being mediocre. We want to push the boundaries and be better and well known, and that comes from Southeast.”

For Carsten, a two-year program that taught skills he wanted to use in the workplace was ideal, he said.

“Animation technology opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know was a possibility,” he said. “I was going to go to school for video production, and this introduced a whole other world. It gives you the foundational tools you need to get out and learn on the job.”

For Haberl, who had a family at a young age, “it just fit,” she said. “I was engaged, the financial side of it was money-saving, and it was right here in Sioux Falls so there was no commuting, and it worked for me.”

Both still keep in touch with instructors.

“Southeast Tech is a tremendous avenue for entrepreneurs to arm themselves with the right education as they start a business,” STC President Bob Griggs said.

“We have an entrepreneurship program as part of our business division, and students often pair that degree with one in business, media communications, early childhood or transportation technology. So many of our programs teach skills that can lead to business ownership, and when you pair that with an associate degree in entrepreneurship, it becomes a valuable combination.”

Read about more successful graduates that own their own companies.