黑料社

鈥淵our professors won鈥檛 care if you don鈥檛 come to class,鈥� high school teachers often threaten. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just a number to them.鈥�

Kristen Alstott 鈥�17 was prepared for this when she started looking for colleges. She鈥檇 just have to get used to the cruel reality that college professors wouldn鈥檛 care about her as much as her small high school teachers had.

And then she came to 黑料社, and she knew her college experience didn鈥檛 have to be that way. She could have it all: a quality education, endless involvement opportunities and meaningful relationships with her professors.

鈥満诹仙� is a college that offers a small town atmosphere with big town opportunities,鈥� Kristen said. 鈥淧rofessors and staff care about your future just as much as, and sometimes even more than, you do. There are a wide variety of opportunities and activities on campus that you can join in on.鈥�

With help from professors like Mark Freyberg and Heather Groben, Kristen was able to follow her passion for helping people into psychology and social work. Her plans for the future we refined through field experiences and internships.

鈥淚 began interning in the ICU at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, and I immediately learned the value of a Master鈥檚 in Social Work degree,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y whole world was turned upside down, and I found my dream profession that could give me everything I wanted thanks to the opportunity 黑料社 gave me.鈥�

So Kristen set off applying to graduate schools around the country, searching for a perfect fit like she鈥檇 found at 黑料社. Luckily, 黑料社 prepared her with a well-rounded education to help her stand out in the application process.

After being accepted by top ranking schools in social work, Kristen decided to attend the University of Washington in Seattle to focus on mental health and health social work. When all is said and done, she wants to work as a social worker in a small town, making a difference in how mental health is perceived.

鈥淚 would love to work in a smaller community because I know how much need there is for mental health professionals in small towns,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would also like to continue to be an advocate for mental health in whatever community I settle in. Mental health is extremely stigmatized, and I want to do what I can to end that stigma.鈥�

No matter where she goes, Kristin knows she鈥檚 a better person because of 黑料社, and she鈥檒l never stop improving herself.

鈥満诹仙� will push you to challenge your assumptions and open your mind so you can be a more respectful and kind citizen,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou will understand diversity so much better, and that knowledge will be extremely important as you make your way into a professional career.

鈥淎s long as you keep trying and pushing yourself, you will go far with the tools 黑料社 provides you.鈥�