I believe that higher education is not just a privilege, but a necessity to furthering understanding of the world and the humans who inhabit it. The ways extended education pique curiosity, and help expand one's scope of knowledge not just on various scholarly topics, but in interpersonal relations, is integral to furthering a person's understanding of themselves and how they fit in to the global community.

My college journey looked different from many of my colleagues'; I started at a four-year university in New York City, far from home. Family circumstances brought me back to the Midwest the next year, where I attended my local community college. After a year and a half in that environment, I came to Iowa City for the first time and fell in love with the town, so I enrolled at the University of Iowa the following winter. Due to the unconventional path I took in my college career, including changing majors after my first year, it took me five years to graduate with my undergraduate degree. Since then, I've invested in my own continuing education, earning certificates in skill-based areas and studying leadership philosophies.

I feel privileged now to be working as a director for the same college I graduated from, supporting our students through the broad world of communications and marketing. While I gained specific and useful skills in other industries, such as small businesses and private retail, giving back to the community that helped grow me is especially satisfying for me.