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NIACC Recognizes 2008-09 Scholarship Recipients and Donors
 

Lisa Hulshizer, James Paulsen, Jared Johanns, Eva Gutierrez, and Pat Galasso

A number of thank you’s and details of future plans were exchanged as North Iowa Area Community College honored 2008-09 scholarship donors and student recipients at a recognition luncheon on Friday. 

“Watching our student scholarship recipients greet and thank the scholarship donors that have made much of their college success possible is such a treat!” Dr. Debra A. Derr, NIACC president, said.  “The pure generosity of scholarship donors is reflected in students at NIACC every day.  As such great friends of the College, donors do more than just help students pay for school; they help students shape their lives.”
The recognition program featured comments from Pat Galasso, co-owner and co-manager of Ge-Jo’s by the Lake Italian Restaurant & Lounge with her husband, Gene. 

"One thing I’ve always admired about NIACC is that the College creates leaders.  I can’t think of a better place to invest than in students as future leaders,” Pat Galasso said.  “It is so easy to become a scholarship donor!  Every dollar is spent wisely to make a major difference in students’ lives, whether furthering their education for the first time or returning to school for retraining.”

The couple established the Gene and Pat Galasso Scholarship, a $500 term award, in 2005 to benefit students in the Hospitality/Food Service Management program.  Pat will rejoin the NIACC Foundation Board of Directors in January of 2009; she’s served on that Board in the past and is a current member of the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Board. 

Several student scholarship recipients also spoke at NIACC’s scholarship recognition luncheon.

Eva Gutierrez, a Criminal Justice NIACC graduate from Mason City, was very grateful for her scholarship and the opportunities it provided her.  Gutierrez received the Extreme Makeover: College Edition scholarship.

“With the assistance of scholarships, I did not have to work full-time and I could focus on school,” Gutierrez said.  “I would’ve given up.  I thought I’d just squeak by, but once I got going I knew I wanted more.  When I made the Dean’s List, I wanted to do it again, and I did!  I know I couldn’t have done it without scholarships.”

Guttierrez currently attends Buena Vista University and plans to earn her bachelor degree in Criminology and Human Services.

Lisa Hulshizer, a nursing major from Grafton, explained that attending NIACC has enabled her to experience the kindness of scholarship donors and make her college experience complete.  Hulshizer received the Ira Stinson Memorial Scholarship.

“Receiving scholarships helps me keep my focus on studying for my classes instead of how much I’m going to have to work to keep up with bills this month.  I cannot thank scholarship donors enough for creating an opportunity for college students like myself to have help in achieving our career goals,” Hulshizer said. 

Hulshizer plans to graduate from NIACC in May 2010 with her Nursing ADN/RN degree.  She’ll then take classes through the University of Iowa to get her BSN degree.

Jared Johanns, a biology and exercise science double major from Grafton, noted that the kindness of scholarship donors has allowed him to get an education and experience college life as well.  Johanns received the Principal Financial Group Foundation Scholarship and the Will F. Muse Scholarship.

“With the cost of pursuing a degree increasing yearly, it is important for me to receive all of the financial aid available.  I am currently enrolled in 19 semester hours at NIACC.  I am also involved in track and field and student senate, I tutor and I have an internship as a student athletic trainer,” Johanns said.  “Without the assistance of the scholarship I wouldn’t be able to handle all of this, because I would have to work a part-time job.  The scholarship assistance I receive helps me concentrate on school, and I know it works because I currently maintain a 4.0 grade point average.”

Johanns plans to pursue a bachelor degree in integrative physiology at the University of Iowa and then attend graduate school for physical therapy at the University of Iowa.  Eventually, Johanns plans to return to work in North Iowa.

James Paulsen, a business/accounting and business/supervision & management major from Mason City, felt that scholarships allowed his to avoid college debt and still provide for his family.  Paulsen received the Charles S. & Mildred M. Whitney Scholarship.

“Someday I hope to be able to contribute to future students’ success in the same way that I have been helped on my road to success,” Paulsen said.  “A lot of deserving prospective students are out there and sometimes getting a scholarship is the only way that they would be able to start living up to their potential.”
After graduation, Paulsen plans to continue in the accounting field and work toward earning his CPA.

As the cost of higher education continues to increase, so does the need for student financial assistance in the forms of loans, grants and scholarships.  Scholarship donations help students keep their borrowing to a minimum.  While the College experiences great support from groups and individuals each year, the need remains for private support of the NIACC Foundation.

“Our donors have provided a great start in our effort to increase the Foundation endowment to provide financial assistance resulting in access and affordability for our students,” Jamie T. Zanios, NIACC Foundation director, said.  “We continue to watch the cost of education rise, and the need for financial help to students is more critical than ever.  Our scholarship donors set an example to others on how they might support our youth in pursuing their dreams.”

For more information on how to help the College acknowledge deserving students, please contact the NIACC Foundation at 641-422-4386.

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