Learning so much in a few short months

          Throughout the last few months of school I have learned so many new things.  Within the first few weeks I realized that I had to completely rethink my learning style and how to manage my time since nobody is here to say what to do and when to do it.  I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone and to try new things, such as applying for leadership positions or to talk to the people across the hall just because they live on your floor.  I have met so many amazing people here at Iowa State and I wouldn't want my freshman year at college to be any other way.
          I have also had the opportunity to learn about myself here.  Our Hixson classes aided in my learning with activities such as the MBTI and the learning styles.  I have learned more about my abilities to be away from my family and I am more confident when I think about doing things my own way in the future.  I have learned how to adjust to living with someone I barely know and becoming pretty good friends with them.
         This doesn't even include the things I have learned in most of my classes, but even without that I know that I have grown so much as a person throughout these last months.  I know for a fact that I am more knowledgeable overall when I compare myself to the person I was on the day of my high school graduation.

What does the hixson award mean to me?

          Going to college has been one of my biggest goals since I was about ten.  I did not know where I wanted to go and what I wanted to was constantly changing, but I knew that someday I would be a college student on my way to my diploma.  Although, some of my family members had gone to college, none have recieved a four year degree or more.  They had all attened community college and I knew I wanted more than that.
          At ten I never thought that my dad would lose his job right as a recession hit or that my mother's alocholism would cause other health issues leading to her being unable to work and struggling to support herself.  But, those events hit home during my high school years.  Entering my senior year I still knew I would go to college, but at that point I realized I would be doing on my own.  That realization struck doubt into my mind.  How could I afford tuition at Iowa State University?  Would I have to settle for community college for two years? 
          So what is the point to the story?  That's simple!  Recieving the hixson award made it more feisable for me to afford college.  It took a large proportion of the stress off of my shoulders.  By being able to make my goal of attending a university come true, the hixson award also is allowing me to show my nine year old brother that he can do what ever he puts his mind to and that there is so much more to life than the life our mother has created for herself.  To me the hixson award means so much more than money for college; it is an opportunity to make my dreams come true and to have a positive impact on the person that means the most to me, my brother.