4 Points: Scholarship

This is the first of 4 blog posts I am doing about the 4 points of the  crown! I was lucky enough to snap this beautiful shot on the Iowa State University campus today and was thrilled about how it turned out. I absolutely love living in a state where we get to experience and enjoy all of the seasons. The first amazing day of the year on this beautiful campus reminded me of one of the great points of the crown: Scholarship! Here's why it's so important to me.

I decided on Iowa State University because of the beautiful campus, abundance of clubs and teams (800+!!) and the great major programs they offer. It was also closest to my family home in Des Moines and I earned the President's Scholarship for academic excellence.

My best friend and I picked a dorm room, packed up a futon and a few plates, and moved in! Little did we know how hard those first few months would be. Parents say the transition period is hard, but how right they are! Trying to make new friends, all the homework, and being away from home for months at a time is not an easy task. It did not make it easy to focus on learning or planning for my future. When my roommate dropped out of school during a tear-filled first semester I was left all alone in a still-cramped, depressing, dimly lit dorm room. The only solution was to get more involved in clubs on campus and dedicate myself to my studies.

IT WORKED! I learned that for me it is so much easier to be dedicated to scholarship when you're doing something you love. I joined the competitive ballroom dance team (treasurer), Red Shoe Club (treasurer), DIY Craft Club (treasurer), Kappa Alpha Theta (Homecoming Community Service Chair), and the Society for Human Resource Management. I also chose a major- Business Management and decided to pursue a master's degree in Healthcare Administration. This plan made it easier and easier to dedicate myself to my studies. By 2015 I had made the Dean's list and was thriving here at Iowa State. It was very difficult for me to continue school after my organ removal surgery but I was too determined! I absolutely love learning and applying my skills. I'm thrilled that my dedication paid off and I will be graduating early in December and starting Grad school early in January!
Scholarship is easy, once you make a plan!

Illinois

Today after an amazing time at Le Chic I went to visit nursing homes in Illinois! From the beginning it was very important to me to make sure I was helping the elderly not only in my immediate community but all over the Midwest. An estimated 14.2% of the Illinois population is over the age of 65 years old according to the latest Illinois census. 

I was thrilled to be invited to the Aledo Rehabilitation and Health Care center. Their friendly staff took me on a tour of the facility and I got to meet some of their lovely residents in both the general care and memory care units. 

Surprisingly only 50 of the 85 rooms are filled at this facility that serves rural Illinois. Though it is a small facility I could tell that the aids truly cared for these patients and made it their life's work to get to know their patients and make them as comfortable and at home as possible. This facility is unique because they have extra activity aids every single day in addition to nurses and CNAs. I think this is a great setup because these activity aids are there solely to provide companionship with the residents. These amazing residents wished me 'good luck' at Miss Iowa, and they were so sweet! One of the lovely residents talked to me about how she had won a pageant in her day too. Aledo even has an aquarium for their residents with a labeled wall with all the types of fish on it!  I loved seeing the great activities and atmosphere they provide for their residents. It was great meeting the wonderful people of Aledo and I had a great time in Illinois. I'm also excited to be one step closer to my goal of visiting senior homes in each state surrounding Iowa in addition to my everyday activities with the elderly in Iowa.

Here's bonus pictures of myself with one of my favorite aids at Aledo, and one of me at Le Chic picking up my wonderful evening gown for the Miss Iowa pageant!