This is one in a series of articles written by students who received scholarships in 2022 awarded through the Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars chapter. The purpose of these articles is to thank the community for its support of students and their higher education goals.
When people told me that college was life-changing, it went in one ear and out the other. I wondered how going to school, again, was going to be so different than the twelve years I’d already gone. I could not have been more wrong and all of those people could not have been more right.
My first semester at South Dakota State University has definitely helped me to grow tremendously academically, relationally and individually. The support I have received from my family to pursue an education here has been amazing. I am currently a Human Biology major with a minor in Chemistry on the pre-medicine route.
The transition of being in a school with 180 students in my grade and having the same teachers for four years to being in a single biology class with 250 students has been tricky for me. It is easy to feel lost and unseen, but I have found that setting up one-on-one meetings with professors has helped me to focus more in class. Professors are also more willing to answer questions, write recommendations and empathize more when they have a relationship with students. I have found a few close friends in each of my classes, making me feel more comfortable and excited to attend class.
Within the first few weeks of classes starting, I joined a few amazing clubs. AMSA (American Medical Student Association) provides super fun volunteer opportunities around the Brookings area, brings in speakers from the medical field and has given me one of the best mentors in the world. Best Buddies is a volunteer opportunity to spend one-on-one time with youth in Brookings. State-a-Thon raises money for kids in Sioux Falls who are a part of the Children's Miracle Network. Oasis is a college and young adult ministry group through one of the churches in Brookings. There are around 150 kids that attend each Sunday night. It is very similar to Young Life in Fergus Falls, something that is very important to me. These clubs make me feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself. They have given me a space to grow and connect with those who have the same passions as I do.
The Fergus Falls community is like no other. In high school, I felt so much support in athletics and academics, as well as in relationships. Being able to see my doctor at one of my basketball games, having a heartfelt letter of recommendation written by a very influential teacher, or receiving a scholarship from a family friend’s business are just a few ways that I felt seen, appreciated and supported by people in my community. Thankfully, the Brookings community shares a lot of the same qualities. The support the community has for the college and the students that attend it are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The opportunities for students to find work, shadow professions and take part in city events has made Brookings a home away from home for me.
I would not be on the path I am if it were not for the support of my family, friends, teachers, mentors and community. I would like to thank Dollars for Scholars and the community for their gracious gift towards my education. I look forward to the day that I can come back to my hometown and give back. It has been such a gift to grow up in the Fergus Falls community and I am excited to continue to grow in Brookings.
Hannah Polejewski is a 2022 graduate of Kennedy Secondary School and is currently attending South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. She is the recipient of the Anna Nelson Memorial and Gene & Dorothy Porter Scholarships. For information on making a donation for scholarships, contact Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars, 601 West Randolph Ave, Fergus Falls, Minn. 56537.
