What is your background?: I was Born in Lacrosse, Wis. and moved around a lot growing up. I moved to Cedar Rapids when I was in middle school and have called it home since. I went to high school at Thomas Jefferson, but earned my diploma through a program at Kirkwood in 2012. I started my college classes at Kirkwood that fall, but then took a break to get married and have two kids. I returned to Kirkwood when my youngest was three months old. I was raised by my father and have nine siblings. One of my brothers just graduated from Mount Mercy University with a degree in English, and one of my sisters will also be graduating from Mount Mercy University next year with a degree in education. Both of these siblings started their education at Kirkwood, and I have another sister who is currently working on her nursing degree at Kirkwood.
What brought you to Kirkwood and why?: Kirkwood’s math and science department is the reason that I started here before transferring. I needed to get a good foundation in math/sciences before continuing with a degree in mechanical engineering at Iowa State University.
What is your program of study and what interests you about it?: I am studying engineering. I always loved math and science, and I found something I could study that incorporated both of these. I am interested in how to be a problem solver and how to analyze systems for improvement.
Are you involved in anything else on campus? If so, what and why?: At the end of this academic year I finished a year of being the president of the STEM Club. It is a club for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I loved being involved with the STEM club and getting to be around other students who shared that same interest. Through STEM Club, I was able to participate in fun activities and travel to interesting places. I highly recommend STEM Club to any student wanting to get involved on campus. I am busy with my family, but I was still able to get involved and I am a better student because of it. I also worked in Tutoring Services as a Math/Science Walk-In Tutor. This was yet another opportunity that I had to get involved on campus, and I loved being able to help other students with subject material that I was interested in.
What do you do for fun?: I like to have game nights with a small group of my friends. We like to get together to play board games, card games or Xbox Kinect. I am also addicted to binge watching Netflix with my husband.
Where do you see yourself in five years?: I see myself as a college graduate who looks forward to going to work, and doesn’t dread it every day. I see myself being financially stable for my family, and hopefully growing my family by a few more kids. I see myself happy.