Katie Stearney
Get to know Katie
- Major: Kinesiology (pre-health studies)
- Class: Junior
- Hometown: Palatine, Illinois
- Career goal: Become a physician’s assistant and provide medical care to under-served communities
- Clubs/activities: UNICEF, VP of community relations for Alpha Phi, Pre-Physician’s Assistant Club
- Awards/honors: Student sensation for the College of Human Sciences
- Favorite place on campus: Fountain of the Four Seasons
- Most influential ISU mentor: David Appy
- Favorite class: Human anatomy, BIO 255
- Why Iowa State: Fell in love with campus and traditions; it felt like home
Katie Stearney follows in family footsteps by going into healthcare
Because her parents and two older sisters graduated from ISU, Katie Stearney was initially hesitant about attending herself.
“I tried my hardest not to fall in love with [ISU] because I don’t like doing what everyone else does,” she said, referring to her family members. “But every time I came to visit, it felt like home.”
Now Katie is taking after her sisters and mother by going into healthcare. She’s currently majoring in kinesiology and pre-physician assistant studies, and she plans to work at a hospital abroad in an under-served community after graduating.
The personal importance of putting others before herself is what motivates Katie in her field and is the main reasoning behind her future goal.
“You don’t really gain anything by doing things for yourself,” she said. “I think it’s important to be thankful for everything you have, and knowing those people [in those under-served communities] don’t even have the basic things that I take for granted every day – it’s important to think about them and help them before I think about myself.”
When she needs extra inspiration or a little advice regarding her work, Katie turns to her mom and sisters.
“They always tell me to keep my options open,” she said. “My mom tells me, ‘If you ever have any doubts about anything, just take a step back and breathe.’ My older sister is good at keeping me motivated. She reminds me it’ll be worth it in the end.”
As for outside-of-class activities, Katie is involved in Pre-Physician Assistant Club, UNICEF, and is the Vice President of Community Relationships at Alpha Phi. While the latter isn’t directly related to healthcare, she said it still satisfies her drive to put others before herself.
“[Being VP of community relations] is a way to put other people’s passions before mine and to get them excited about things,” she said.
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