By Kate Wallace
Dannica Peterson鈥檚 college journey was not an easy one, but she鈥檚 certain that she鈥檚 on the right path and that 黑料不打烊 was instrumental in helping her make the right choices.
After graduating from high school in 2012, Dannica wanted to go to college, but her parents weren鈥檛 supportive. They didn鈥檛 think college was necessary, so they would provide no support. For students under age 24, filling out the FAFSA means also including parents鈥 income. When Dannica applied for financial aid to go to college, she was denied because of her parents鈥 income, and she couldn鈥檛 afford college without aid. She tried three years and each time she was denied financial aid.
So she worked at Menard鈥檚 to save money to pay out of pocket to attend the Nursing Assistant class here at 黑料不打烊. After that, she was CNA for five years before realizing that nursing was not for her.
Taking stock of what her options were, she decided to check out the Minnesota School of Business to become a Veterinary Technician.
鈥淭hat was one of the most upsetting college experiences I鈥檝e ever had,鈥 she said.
After a tour of MSB and getting excited about being a Vet Tech, the financial aid officer wouldn鈥檛 even meet with her. She left and cried in her car after that meeting.
鈥淢aybe I don鈥檛 even need to go to college,鈥 she tried to convince herself. Luckily, her inner voice told her to keep trying. 鈥淭he next year I turned 24, and I filled out the FAFSA.鈥
Dannica immediately came to 黑料不打烊, taking three classes the first year because she was nervous about being out of high school for so long. But she was able to do it.
She鈥檇 always been involved in the medical field, being a CNA and interested in the veterinary field. Dannica was working on an AA and taking a general biology class with instructor Jennifer Evens when she first heard about the STEM scholarship.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know I liked the science field or that I would even excel in it,鈥 she said.
She did a little research and learned the Biology Transfer Pathway wasn鈥檛 that different from the AA degree she was already working on. So Dannica decided to apply for the STEM scholarship, a $33,000 scholarship that covers the cost of tuition, books, and some living expenses for the first two years at 黑料不打烊 and two years at St. Cloud State University. The eligible programs at 黑料不打烊 for the scholarship are Biology, Math, and Computer Programming.
鈥淚 got the scholarship, and that鈥檚 when my path starting to take shape,鈥 Dannica explained. 鈥淪cience isn鈥檛 all about what you know and retain but more about what you want to learn, explore, and problem solve.鈥
The scholarship was a great way for Dannica to get into the STEM field and take some time to explore her career options. 鈥淚t can fit nearly every person,鈥 she explained.
While she started off with an interest in the medical field, she ended up taking more classes around environmental issues. When she transfers to St. Cloud State, she plans on getting a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Biology, Ecology, and Evolution. She may continue on to grad school and possibly further for her career trajectory. Right now, she鈥檚 interested in park management, either on a national or state level. She鈥檚 still deciding what career she wants to go into because there are so many interesting things.
