Be the change you wish to see in the world -Gandhi
Dione?
People often have a bit of trouble when they first encounter my name. It is pronounced dye-o-nee. Once the pronunciation is down, or at least on its way, the second question is inevitably "How did you get your name?" My dad is quite interested in astronomy and found my name while learning about Saturn. Dione is the name of a satellite that orbits Saturn. My brother was also named after a moon around Saturn, Titan. Interesting huh?
The Phebe Connection
I have been interested in serving those who need my help from the moment I could first begin to understand this concept. My aunt was a midwife missionary in Liberia, West Africa for 24 years (1966-1990). She returned to the United States when I was four months old and has always been an important part of my life. On December 24, 1989, a fourteen year long civil war broke out. This placed Liberia in an even more dire state of need than it was before. My family decided that even though my aunt no longer lived in the country, they could not forget the Liberian people especially in this great time of need. Thus, the Phebe Connection was established. This is a home-based effort to sort, pack, and ship medical supplies from our family farm to Phebe Hospital in Liberia. I have been deeply involved in this effort since I was four years old. (We have quite the adorable home video to prove this.) Throughout my life I have met a number of Liberians in the states who have had some form of contact with my aunt and the effects of the Phebe Connection. I cannot describe the feeling that I get when I hear that our small, home-based project made a real difference during the war.
In June of 2008, I was fortunate enough to travel to Liberia with my aunt to see the place that I had only dreamed of. I met hundreds of people and heard their painful stories of starvation, sickness, and violence during the war. The most commonly heard phrase was "It's not easy." This idea has resounded in my head since I first heard it. Yes, the war is over, but their suffering is not. I want to continue to help them, and others in similar situations, throughout my life. I want to go back to Liberia, and to other places around Africa, to hear more of these stories so that I can bring them back to the States and help inspire others to move to action as well. There is no doubt that the Phebe Connection has been an integral influence in forming my passion for serving others.
In June of 2008, I was fortunate enough to travel to Liberia with my aunt to see the place that I had only dreamed of. I met hundreds of people and heard their painful stories of starvation, sickness, and violence during the war. The most commonly heard phrase was "It's not easy." This idea has resounded in my head since I first heard it. Yes, the war is over, but their suffering is not. I want to continue to help them, and others in similar situations, throughout my life. I want to go back to Liberia, and to other places around Africa, to hear more of these stories so that I can bring them back to the States and help inspire others to move to action as well. There is no doubt that the Phebe Connection has been an integral influence in forming my passion for serving others.
Lutheran Youth Organization
My faith has always been an important part of my life, but when I was in high school it was solidified through my participation in the Southeast Iowa Synod's Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO). In June 2006, I was elected to the LYO board as the Conference 8 representative. Over the course of the next year I contacted all of the churches in the conference to inform them of upcoming LYO events and planned a conference-wide event as well. It was quite the undertaking, but I enjoyed it because it helped me to demonstrate some form of leadership in the church.
The following summer, it was time for board elections again and I realized that no one else was willing to run for president. I thought about my options and realized that my skills might best be used as the president. This opened up my conference representative position for a friend who wanted to get involved as well. This was quite the experience as I had to plan and preside over all of the meetings and work out many of the details for our synod-wide event. It was a blast. I am often introverted, but once I get put into a leadership position, I find that I can assert myself better. Being involved in LYO made me a better public speaker, Bible study leader, and friend. Although this chapter of my life is over, I will never be able to forget all the ways that it impacted my life.
The following summer, it was time for board elections again and I realized that no one else was willing to run for president. I thought about my options and realized that my skills might best be used as the president. This opened up my conference representative position for a friend who wanted to get involved as well. This was quite the experience as I had to plan and preside over all of the meetings and work out many of the details for our synod-wide event. It was a blast. I am often introverted, but once I get put into a leadership position, I find that I can assert myself better. Being involved in LYO made me a better public speaker, Bible study leader, and friend. Although this chapter of my life is over, I will never be able to forget all the ways that it impacted my life.
How to Save a Life
In September of 1984, almost exactly five years before I was born, my 19 year old cousin died of a rare blood disease called myelofibrosis. The doctors told my family that she would need a bone marrow transplant to have any chance of living. At that time, there were very few people who had been tissue typed for bone marrow transplants. My family rallied together to get as many people as possible to be tissue typed. Eventually, they found a match for my cousin, but by that time, it was too late. After she died, my aunts and uncle started up the Southeast Iowa Bone Marrow Transplant Committee to increase people's awareness about how easy it is to get tissue typed and what a difference it can make in a person's life.
I love being involved in this group and have been helping since I was very young. Every other year, the SEIA Bone Marrow Transplant Committee wraps Christmas gifts at our local mall to raise money for people to be tissue typed and give out information about how to be tissue typed. It is extraordinarily simple to do now as one can be tissue typed by rubbing four cotton swabs on the inside of the cheeks, placing the swabs back in the package they came in, and sending the envelope back in to the hospital that will process it. I still remember the day that I was tissue typed, as I had literally been counting down the years until I could be typed (age 18) since I was ten. I hope to continue raising awareness about this important issue and pray that I might be able to donate my bone marrow to save someone's life. I never met my cousin, and I don't want anyone else to have to say those words because I wasn't tissue typed. For more information about being tissue typed visit http://www.marrow.org/
I love being involved in this group and have been helping since I was very young. Every other year, the SEIA Bone Marrow Transplant Committee wraps Christmas gifts at our local mall to raise money for people to be tissue typed and give out information about how to be tissue typed. It is extraordinarily simple to do now as one can be tissue typed by rubbing four cotton swabs on the inside of the cheeks, placing the swabs back in the package they came in, and sending the envelope back in to the hospital that will process it. I still remember the day that I was tissue typed, as I had literally been counting down the years until I could be typed (age 18) since I was ten. I hope to continue raising awareness about this important issue and pray that I might be able to donate my bone marrow to save someone's life. I never met my cousin, and I don't want anyone else to have to say those words because I wasn't tissue typed. For more information about being tissue typed visit http://www.marrow.org/
What's a Euphonium?
I've sure heard that question a time or two. For starters, a euphonium is a band instrument that can also be referred to as a baritone. Still confused? Okay, the best description that I can give you is that it looks like a small tuba. Ah, okay, that you can relate to. I have been playing the euphonium for nine years now. When I think about how long I have been playing I chuckle to myself, because the first few years I played I used to hate it. I never wanted to play because I wasn't good at it. In elementary school and middle school I was what teachers, either rightly or wrongly, called a gifted student which means that I could often catch on to concepts quicker than some of my comrades. This was not the case in the world of music because no matter what, the only way to get better at a musical instrument is to practice. Somehow, I stuck with the euphonium and eventually made the 2006 Iowa All-State Band. This accomplishment was extremely important for me because I succeeded in something that I really, truly had to work for. Playing the euphonium has taught me patience and perseverance as well as brought me a great deal of memories.
I currently play the euphonium in one of my college's bands. Every summer for the past three years, I have also participated in the Burlington Municipal band. This is a fun experience as we get together for a short rehearsal on Monday night and then give a free concert in the park every Sunday. I love sharing music with the community in this way. Of course, I always have a smile for the community member that approaches me after the concert and says "Thanks for the music. What instrument do play?"
I currently play the euphonium in one of my college's bands. Every summer for the past three years, I have also participated in the Burlington Municipal band. This is a fun experience as we get together for a short rehearsal on Monday night and then give a free concert in the park every Sunday. I love sharing music with the community in this way. Of course, I always have a smile for the community member that approaches me after the concert and says "Thanks for the music. What instrument do play?"
ONE can make a difference
Since 2008, I have been involved in the Luther College chapter of the ONE campaign. The ONE campaign is a national advocacy group that is dedicated to ending extreme poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases. I love working with ONE because it is so easy to get involved. The main thing ONE members do is to let their elected officials know that they care about the aforementioned issues and want the United States government to make a commitment to help achieve the eradication of poverty-related problems. Everyone can use their voice to make a difference in the world.
In January of 2010, I was given the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. to attend the Power 100 Summit with ONE campus challenge leaders. The ONE campus challenge is a competition between the various ONE chapters present on college campuses across the nation. It is intended to get college students intricately involved in the eradication of poverty. During the Power 100 Summit I learned exactly how easy it is to make a difference and what a global impact my voice can have. Through the Living Proof Project, (www.livingproofproject.org) I learned about all the ways in which U.S. investments are making a difference in the world. On the last day of the summit, I was able to go to Senator Grassley and Senator Harkin's offices to emphasize how important it is to fund international aid programs including gavi and pepfar. I really enjoyed visiting with the staff members because it made it very easy to be able to call the offices to remind them about ONE's concerns after I returned home. Everyone can get involved in ONE. It doesn't take any financial commitment, just a vocal, written, and/or typed commitment to let our legislators know that International Aid is a big deal. It works and we care! Check it out at www.one.org
In January of 2010, I was given the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. to attend the Power 100 Summit with ONE campus challenge leaders. The ONE campus challenge is a competition between the various ONE chapters present on college campuses across the nation. It is intended to get college students intricately involved in the eradication of poverty. During the Power 100 Summit I learned exactly how easy it is to make a difference and what a global impact my voice can have. Through the Living Proof Project, (www.livingproofproject.org) I learned about all the ways in which U.S. investments are making a difference in the world. On the last day of the summit, I was able to go to Senator Grassley and Senator Harkin's offices to emphasize how important it is to fund international aid programs including gavi and pepfar. I really enjoyed visiting with the staff members because it made it very easy to be able to call the offices to remind them about ONE's concerns after I returned home. Everyone can get involved in ONE. It doesn't take any financial commitment, just a vocal, written, and/or typed commitment to let our legislators know that International Aid is a big deal. It works and we care! Check it out at www.one.org
