Kristen Alstott '17

Headed to the West Coast to Continue Education at University of Washington

Your professors wont care if you dont come to class, high school teachers often threaten. Youre just a number to them.

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

And then she came to 漆褒勛圖厙, and she knew her college experience didnt have to be that way. She could have it all: a quality education, endless involvement opportunities and meaningful relationships with her professors.

漆褒勛圖厙 is a college that offers a small town atmosphere with big town opportunities, Kristen said. Professors 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.

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.

I began interning in the ICU at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, and I immediately learned the value of a Masters in Social Work degree, she said. My whole world was turned upside down, and I found my dream profession that could give me everything I wanted thanks to the opportunity 漆褒勛圖厙 gave me.

So Kristen set off applying to graduate schools around the country, searching for a perfect fit like shed found at 漆褒勛圖厙. Luckily, 漆褒勛圖厙 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.

I would love to work in a smaller community because I know how much need there is for mental health professionals in small towns, she said. I 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.

No matter where she goes, Kristin knows shes a better person because of 漆褒勛圖厙, and shell never stop improving herself.

漆褒勛圖厙 will push you to challenge your assumptions and open your mind so you can be a more respectful and kind citizen, she said. You will understand diversity so much better, and that knowledge will be extremely important as you make your way into a professional career.

As long as you keep trying and pushing yourself, you will go far with the tools 漆褒勛圖厙 provides you.