‘Where you make the greatest of friends’

Erin Peterson is the daughter of Mandra and Chris Peterson of Hartland. She has two sisters, Anna and Kali. This fall she plans to attend South Dakota State University where she will major in nursing.

 

While in high school, she has been a member of the volleyball and softball teams. She also took part in the National Honor Society, High School Ambassadors, Trig Star, band, the yearbook, and the Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA).

 

She has helped with disaster relief after storms, Feed My Starving Children, blood drives and ditch cleanups. She is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for the New Richland Care Center and for an online facility called GrapeTree.

 

Peterson says she is proud of her accomplishments in high school, and grateful all her hard work has paid off. She comments her parents are also proud of her achievements and excited to see what the future has in store for her.

 

Her advice to younger students is, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your teachers are there to help you succeed.” She also recommends getting involved in extracurricular activities, and suggests, “Don’t forget to do your homework.”

 

Peterson says she did not enter high school with the goal of being among her class’s highest achievers, but she has always worked very hard at her homework and education; she is pleased with the results.

 

Her favorite part of being in high school has been having time to see and be with her friends every day. 

 

Of the subjects she has taken, she has best liked human anatomy, chemistry, child and human development, biology and trigonometry. Her  least favorites were physics, government and history.

 

Peterson has had a long list of favorite teachers and supporters, including Susan Schaub, Kelly Delacruz, Mark Domeier, Tyler Macha, Duey Ferber, Nancy Rudau, Dustin Julius, and counseling staff Liz Stiernagle and Barb Hagen. Of these advisors, she says, “They were always there for me, not just in my classes, but also whenever I needed to talk through things. They were very positive forces in my high school career. 

 

As her future unfolds, she says she is looking forward to “meeting new people and creating new friendships, as well as becoming a nurse and having the ability to help people in that way.”

 

In ten years, she expects to be a travel nurse, and hopes she will be doing two things that she loves at once–making a difference in people’s lives and traveling.”

 

If she could travel back in time and offer herself some advice as a freshman, her suggestions would be to, “Get involved. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, because that is where you will make the greatest of friends.”