My Northern Wisconsin

Covering Ashland, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Vilas Counties


PARK FALLS: SKYLER DURAL, NORTHERN WISCONSIN-FOCUSED WOMAN


   
Submitted photo.

Date Published:  May 31, 2016

Skyler Dural grew up in northern Price County, just south of the county line, in Butternut, Wisconsin, where she currently resides.  During her school years, she was very active with the Corner Rock Youth Center during its tenure in Park Falls.  Graduating from Butternut High School in 2009, she attended college at Northland College and was a 2013 graduate.  Currently, she is taking on-line courses to pursue her Master’s degree in psychology with a focus on industrial and organizational psychology.

Employed by the non-profit workforce development organization, Northwest Wisconsin CEP, she is an employer resource consultant where her job is to talk with employers about their workforce needs, help match job seekers to jobs, and work with people of any age to get training or education.  Her home office is in Park Falls, but she serves five counties.

Skyler’s fiancé is Joel Eder who recently graduated from the police academy in Eau Claire.  Joel serves with the Wisconsin National Guard and has been deployed twice to Afghanistan and Iraq.  Hoping he will be home for good, Skyler said they enjoy doing many outdoor activities, especially kayaking the Flambeau River.  “Nothing beats being out on the water with Joel or a couple other friends.  There’s something so awe-inspiring, especially when I’m paddling down the Flambeau, looking around at all the beauty – the trees, the water, the rocks, the wildlife – makes me realize how small we are as humans in the grand scheme of life.  Plus, there is no cell phone reception so that is liberating, as well!”

As a soon-to-be-bride, it’s expected that Skyler is excited about her wedding day.  “We’re planning to get married this fall, which is very exciting!” Skyler shared, mentioning that she cannot wait for all the planning to come to life on their special day.  “We are really looking forward to establishing our life in Price County -- working here, living here, and hopefully, God willing, raising kids here.  There is nowhere else where we could possibly see ourselves living than the Northwoods.  We’re both close to our families which is another reason we want to stay close by.”  Joel’s family is “close by” in Clam Lake, and Skyler’s parents, Bob and Ronda, live in Butternut.  Spanning the generations, Skyler added that her maternal grandparents, Jack and Carol Koch, are from Butternut, and her late paternal grandparents, Bob and Sandy Dural, were proud residents of Park Falls.  “I also never really dreamed of living anywhere other than Northern Wisconsin,” Skyler noted about herself.  “I’ve never wanted the city life.”

Skyler expressed that her parents and grandparents have supported everything that she has done and they have been her biggest fans and cheerleaders.  From watching her play Little Red Riding Hood in a play in first grade to watching her graduate high school and helping her through college, they have always been there for her, which she very obviously and openly appreciates.  “I will never be able to pay them back for the love and support that they’ve given me over the years.  I’m so lucky to have been able to grow up next door to my maternal grandparents and have my paternal grandparents nearby.”

Jokingly stating that the most interesting thing about her is that she has never eaten a hamburger or a steak, because she does not like red meat, when we delved a little farther, we found quite a few unique hobbies and passions unique to this 24 year old.  “I love history, reading memoirs and autobiographies, and watching documentaries.  I don’t think that’s very common for a 24 year old psychology grad student,” Skyler added, with a smile.  She also travels a lot for work, so she has some free time to fill during non-work times, and is hooked on the “How Stuff Works” family of podcasts.

Learning more about what makes Skyler unique, painting is a special hobby that she shares with her mom and grandma.  She especially enjoys using natural stone but sometimes does canvas paintings, as well.  “I’m certainly not the most talented,” she says modestly, “but it’s fun and relaxing!”

Speaking of relaxing, we asked Skyler what item she’d want to have with her on a deserted island.  Since a boat was not an option, Skyler said she would bring a cell phone and a reception booster so that someone could rescue her.  “Is that cheating?” she quipped.

Or maybe Skyler could teleport.  She said that choosing one super power was tricky given there are a lot of positives and negatives to many of them.  “Reading minds would be great, but I’m not sure if I’d want to always know what people were thinking.  That could be scary,” she laughed.  “I think I would choose to be able to teleport or snap my fingers to be from where I am to someplace different!  How neat would that be!?” she wondered, and then gleefully added, “I’d never be late!”

On a more serious note, Skyler shows a deep passion for women’s rights.  “I would have loved to be alive during the early 1910s into the 1920s because then I could have been a part of the Women’s Rights Movements.  Those women paved the way for young women like me, and I am forever grateful for their perseverance and bravery.  This is why I vote in every election and am thankful that I can go to work in a business setting!  Plus, 1920s fashion was great!”  She said that if she could have dinner with three famous people, dead or alive, she would choose Susan B. Anthony, Malala Yousafzai, and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.  “They were all amazing women who fought for women’s rights throughout time starting with Sor Juana in the 1600s and Malala in the 2000s.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be part of a conversation with those women.”

Skyler would like the people of Price County to not get stuck in a mindset of “this is the way it has always been so we have to keep doing the same thing.”  “You don’t move forward without new ideas and innovation.  I think there is potential for business ventures here connected to technology.  The world is getting smaller and we have to see what business can develop from that.”  Skyler also mentioned that she wants young people to realize there are so many good things in Price County, including nature, jobs, and a sense of safety.  She wants young people to understand that they can live here and find ways for the area to grow into something even better, because positive changes can be made when we all work toward a common goal.

Skyler would direct young people to go for their goals and not to panic if they think things aren’t going exactly as planned, because as long as a person has direction, things tend to work out well.  As long as it is not dangerous, she said, “I’d rather look back and say, ‘Wow, that was a mistake’ than say, ‘I wish I could have taken that chance.’”  Her thoughts for how she lives her life come from her favorite quote by Harvey MacKay, which is, “Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it....if it changes your life, let it."

To conclude our interview, we gave Skyler the word shown in uppercase and asked her to fill in the blanks afterward, leaving us with these answers:

I LOVE:  sunshine, laughter, and life.
I HOPE:  to make a positive impact in our communities.
I FEEL:  optimistic for the future!
I MISS:  being a little kid sometimes.  Naps, Play-doh, no bills – Ahh, it sounds amazing!
I LEARNED:  that you can’t please everyone, but try your best!
I KNOW:  that my life will be lived well if I pursue my passions and spend it with those I love.
I NEED:  to unplug from technology more than I do.  It’s very rare I don’t have my cell phone near me in case something with work, school, or life happens.  I need to learn to make time every day to completely put it away and focus on what is in front of me.  (Then again, My Price County reminded Skyler that she did want that cell phone and booster if stranded on a deserted island, so there are pros and cons!)

If you would like to nominate someone for a “Spotlight” interview, including yourself, please e-mail us at Contact@MyPriceCounty.com with the person’s name and his or her e-mail address, Facebook page, and/or phone number.

Written By:  Lynne Bohn

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(This post was last modified: 12-29-2021, 11:30 PM by My Northern Wisconsin.)