A Gift of a Lifetime

I grew up in Zumbrota, MN, with my parents and younger brother. Much of my extended family lived and grew up just a town over, so family and community have always been important aspects of my life. I began my first year of college in the fall of 2019 at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota planning on majoring in Pre-med, but very quickly declared History as my major instead. During my second year of undergrad, I had expressed to a professor (Laurie Ziliak) that I was looking for work in Winona that would accommodate to a student’s schedule, and she highly recommended HCO. After hearing about the mission of the agency, I knew HCO would be a great fit for me.

I began as a DSP in March of 2021 at Pleasant Valley (26613) and am very grateful to have had this position throughout my final years of undergrad. I graduated with a B.A. in History, as well as minors in Art and Health Humanities. I really took interest in the Health Humanities field after working within the agency and witnessing firsthand how important our job is. The degree is focused on the healthcare experience through the lens of the humanities in order to better prepare healthcare professionals in advocating and care for all patients. During my time at HCO, I’ve also worked at Saehler and both 745/745B.

Working in this community has been the opportunity and gift of a lifetime. As a college student, I was very grateful for my coordinator (Amber Weaver) for being so understanding of each team members needs when it came to scheduling flexibility. Amber’s ability to lead a team and drive everyone to succeed stood out significantly when I first began working for the agency. Along with an amazing work environment, I would say that most of all, the individuals and the relationships I’ve built have kept me at HCO. Being a part of a team who so genuinely cares about their work and individuals has been such a fulfilling aspect of this job. Working side by side with the individuals to assist in achieving their goals has been the most rewarding opportunity I will likely ever have. I feel that I’ve truly found my home away from home in Winona, and I will always be grateful for that.