Relationship Status: Single
Hometown: Murray, Iowa
Age/year: 19, Sophomore
Major: Nutritional Science with a specification in Professional Research & Pre-med. I am also minoring in Chemistry and Spanish.
Campus organizations: Acacia Fraternity, Freshmen Council, Emerging Greek Leadership Council, Students Helping Our Peers, The Presidential Leadership Class & a Dairy Sensory Evaluation Panel.
Post grad plans: I plan to pursue my masters in Bioscience and do research either at a university or for the Department of Defense.
Dream job: I would love to own and run a vineyard while making my own wine.
Favorite memory from freshman year: My favorite memory from freshman year was joining Acacia Fraternity and making some of the best friends in my life.
The number one thing on your bucket list: I have two actually; first, I would like to scuba dive in the Barrier Reef. Second is to ice skate at the Rockefeller Center during Christmas time. Favorite band/musician: My favorite band is Five for Fighting, but I love a lot of country and rock as well.
Fun fact: Cooking is my therapy. I love to turn on some good, relaxing music and come up with my own recipe. The best part is when it all comes together on a plate for my friends to eat. It relaxes me to chop, stir, and listen to the sizzling of the pan.
Role model: My mom is my biggest role model. She gave everything she had to provide for me when I was younger, and I can only hope one day I will be as influential in others’ lives as she is in mine.
Biggest turn on: When a woman knows how to dress in a provocative way without looking trashy or desperate, it’s definitely a turn on. Seeing some skin is nice, but leaving us guys guessing is even more fun.
Biggest turn off: Poor hygiene. If you don’t respect yourself enough to care about your body, how can you expect us guys to think you would care about a relationship?
Celebrity crush: Jessica Alba is one woman who is simply stunning. If you know who she is, I don’t think you need me to spell it out for you.
Ideal first date: A great first date is a trip to the zoo. It is not too expensive and fun to watch the animals together. However, I am more of a self-proclaimed romantic and prefer something with a little more thought behind it. I would start by making a candle lit dinner for two and then take off with a blanket and a bottle of wine to go stargazing.
Words to live by: I have so many favorite quotes that I have found over time, but a few that I try to live my life by are: If you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day; if you teach a man to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime. While earning your daily bread, be sure you share a slice with those less fortunate. Last but not least: You need not be inspired when you can be the inspiration.
Favorite food: I enjoy baking deserts from coffeecake to truffles, but I really like eating good ol’ Iowa farm fresh sweet corn.
Hobbies: I love to work out, run, garden, cook & camp. I mainly just like enjoying the simple things in life.
Funny quirks: I enjoy watching cartoons on Saturday mornings when I eat breakfast. It helps me step back from the fast paced life I am living now and reminisce about when I was a kid.
Best advice you’ve ever been given: You don’t have to be perfect. Lead a life that you are proud of and make the choices that you want to because life is very much like playing a piano…it may be difficult, but as long as we play the keys right, in the end, we will make something beautiful out of it.
What you’re looking forward to most this year: Honestly, I am looking forward to making new friends and memories. Whether it is just catching a movie or volunteering together, I am excited to see what this year has in store for me. I am also looking forward to becoming more involved in different aspects of my life such as my church and applying for opportunities to start gaining experience in a laboratory doing research.