Putting things in perspective...

So... here I am in my last week in Kirkwood Marketing Services. My job here is pretty much helping Steve, the PR guru here at Kirkwood, with anything that needs to be done. I write many press releases and do feature stories for the website. I am a journalist at heart so writing is definitely my favorite part of the job.

I have been on countless interviews since I started working here. I have met so many interesting people who have really enlightened my 20-year old brain. But this one really opened my eyes.

I got to go to an interview at Kirkwood's Vinton Center a few weeks ago. I interviewed Kathleen Pettengill, a non-traditional student who came to Kirkwood because she had to. Her husband was killed by a drunk driver and she was left with four children to support and a mortgage to pay. She came to Kirkwood to take classes to become a teacher, because she knew having a degree would be the only way she could make the money she needed to support her family. Kathleen had been a stay at home mom ever since she married right out of high school.

Talking with Kathleen made me realize the importance of my education. She was right when she said your education steers you for the rest of your life. She also made me realize that I should take obstacles that come my way in stride. She has been through so much in the last three years and she still wears a smile. Everytime something happens to me that makes me think my world is crumbling, I should step back and realize that nothing is thrown your way that you can't handle.

Here is a photo of Kathleen after our interview. She is standing next to the quilt that she made in honor of her husband. The quilt is hanging at the Vinton Center. Kathleen will be taking classes at UNI next fall.