A Q&A with one of the 750 students who received a diploma Dec. 14 at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø:
Name: Hailey Hansen
Hometown: Eau Claire
Major: Psychology; minors in Spanish and in human development and family studies
Awards, honors: Summa cum laude, seven-time recipient of the Chancellor ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. Award, Gamma Sigma Sigma Scholarship, McNair Scholar, Psi Chi, International Honor Society in Psychology, Sittko Family Annual Scholarship, ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Psychology Scholarship, Samuel E. Wood Medallion Award, Steiner/Milnes Scholarship, Achievement in Research, High Academic Distinction in Psychology, Promising Student Scholarship
Why did you choose ºÚÁÏÉçÇø? I toured ºÚÁÏÉçÇø with the Upward Bound program, and I fell in love with the small, intimate campus and the polytechnic approach. I knew it would be a great fit for me.
What are the biggest obstacles you faced in earning your degree? My biggest challenge was dealing with finances. As a first-generation college student from a single parent household, I have had to pay for my tuition if I could not get enough funding from outside sources. This has been difficult with multiple jobs as a full-time student on and off campus. I have worked for the custodial team of the student center and Price Commons, Stoutfitters (previously known as the campus bookstore), I was a Week One Orientation leader (WOO), and I was a teaching assistant for the human development and family studies department. I was also on the executive board of my sorority for two years as treasurer. I had one additional job that I did over the summer. At one point, I was working four jobs simultaneously.
What stands out among your college experiences? I was able to get a 3.9 GPA as a very involved student. I have had a very large support system between my family, friends and faculty. As for staff and faculty, I was supported through the McNair Scholars Program, Aspire and the psychology, Spanish and HDFS departments. Faculty gave me opportunities to complete several research projects, present internationally and be a teaching assistant, and I was able to create connections for references.
What ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. next? I will be continuing my education at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø to pursue my career goals as a school counselor. I will be in the Master of Science school counseling program starting in January.
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