Student Profiles

Kelsey Staudacher

Classification: Third year

Major:

Math - Statistical & Actuarial Science;

Music - Choral/General Education

Hometown: Indianola, Iowa

Why did you choose UNI?

I had a few reasons for choosing UNI. I actually visited and applied to more than 15 colleges and universities around the Midwest (!!) so I could “shop around.” I had a criteria: I needed to be able to continue in music, the school needed to have a well established math department, specifically for actuarial science, I wanted good advisers for my majors since they were so different, and I needed to feel at home (of course!!). Obviously UNI was the overwhelming choice. I couldn’t believe how a school this size has such personal teachers and staff. I got to meet with my advisers before I even decided to go here, and they reassured me they would help me do whatever I wanted for my education. Some other schools tried to force me to choose, but UNI wanted me to get what I wanted out of my education.

What's the best thing about attending UNI?

I literally cannot imagine going to school anywhere else. I am able to have so many great experiences at this school. I can be in music, math club, work on service projects, go to church any day of the week, cheer on our sports teams, be on a sports team, exercise at any point in the day, give tours, learn about cultures, study with students in your classes, make new friends in each class, talk to the professor EVERY DAY and have them know your name, feel like you are actually learning not just regurgitating, hang out every night, walk anywhere I want, and get anywhere I want in 10 minutes. Oh, and the food is pretty good. So what’s the best thing? I’m happy.

How has the Honors Program at UNI helped you? What do you like best about the program?

I have met some of my best friends through the Honors Program, believe it or not! The sophomore Presidential Scholars are put together every year to work on a service project, and that was probably one of the best experiences of my life to date. We got to work on an actual project, like you would in real life. I love that the Honors Program is about learning and building knowledge. We can take Honors classes and be challenged, or contract a class we are interested in to delve deeper into a subject. We also get to meet people that have a lot of the same interests and goals and build great networks for the future. And may I just say that Jessica Moon and Brenda Hackenmiller are amazing!! You want to work hard and be part of something that is so well supported by the Honors advisors and staff.

What kind of on-campus organizations/activities are you involved in? How does that involvement enrich your overall college experience?

Other than the Honors Program, I am involved in SAA (Student Admissions Ambassadors), Bowling for Breasts organizer, Relay for Life Team Captain, Concert Chorale, Actuary Club, Panther Posse, House Senate and Representative, St. Steven’s Catholic Center, St. Patrick’s Cantor, BASIC, and helping with the UNI Children’s Chorus. I would be bored out of my mind if all I had to do when I got done with classes is to do more math problems! Don’t get me wrong, I love math, but I am not a person that can stay on one subject for hours on end. All of these groups and projects help me “expand my horizons.” I get to meet so many people, and most of them are people I would not have met in my classes. Yes, schoolwork is interesting and is our first priority, but college is not just about writing papers and taking tests. It’s about building relationships and experiences that will enhance our life both professionally and personally for years to come. I can say for a fact that I am able to organize a service project, I can talk to people I have never met, I can be a team player, and I can teach because these activities taught me how. Plain schoolwork can’t do that.

Share a memorable experience of UNI—whether it's the funniest, most embarrassing, profound, etc.

Funniest: So winter is a little cold here at UNI, I don’t think that is any secret! I volunteered to valet park for a Habitat for Humanity charity event here on campus on, literally, the coldest day of the year. My fingers and toes were frozen 10 minutes into the night, but we were having a lot of fun just joking around and hanging out in between cars. Well, I had to go get a car for someone, and I couldn’t find it! It was so cold and I was running around on an ice-covered parking lot in the dark. I finally found the car and I was so excited that I ran over, flung open the door, and flew COMPLETELY under the car! My whole body, just my forehead and nose sticking out. Thank goodness only a few people saw, and I eventually got the car back to the owner, and now I have an awesome scare to commemorate UNI’s freezing winters and how we kept having fun despite the ice.

Profound: The greatest experience I have had at UNI was the night that our fundraiser, Bowling for Breasts, happened. We worked an entire year building this project from scratch, and it finally happened! I wish I could explain the elation that we felt when all of our hard worked paid off. Breast cancer is dear in all of our hearts for personal reasons, and we all knew what the other was thinking when the night came. I really cannot put into words what we felt, but it really was magic. I met my best friends working on this project, and we got to spend the whole year working together on something we loved. It was amazing.