Name: Sarah Lowendick
Year: Senior
Majors: Public Relations & Advertising
Campus Activities: Ad Club, PRSSA and an online talk show “Chatting Up a Storm with James and Sarah” (available at jmolnar.net/chat)

My Journey

In August 2005, I began my journey at Marquette University. I came to college with high expectations of myself for the future. I knew what I wanted, but didn’t know what would happen on my path to achieving my goals.

The Road I Took to Get There

I took a semester off and came back to the first semester of my junior year with no foresight into my most difficult year at college. The pain started with the fall 2007 semester and became unbearable by mid-September. My best friend took me to the emergency room, where I would walk out a Type-I, insulin-dependent diabetic. The next few months were full of balancing difficult classes with a diabetic care team and doctor appointments.

After winter break, I came back to a more difficult semester, spring 2008. Before the end of the first week of classes, I broke my foot running outside. I couldn’t believe it. Just when I felt things were getting better and was ready to continue the path to my dreams, I broke my foot. I struggled through spring break on crutches with snow and ice. When I came back to my apartment after spending spring break in Cincinnati, Ohio, my hometown, I opened my door to a collapsed ceiling. The next months became a bigger struggle, with moving my belongings to different apartments, a healing fracture, the end of a difficult semester and everyday struggles. As the semester ended, I had a new game plan, a new goal, which was to outline my path — at least the best I could.

Life has been far from easy. Through all of the challenges I have been through — finding out that I am a Type-I Diabetic, dealing with the collapsed ceiling, spending the winter months on crutches and dealing with a heavy course load — I have become stronger.

I was thrown off my path so much, which makes it hard to reach my goal at school: learning, living and achieving. The plan was to graduate on time because of expenses and a personal goal to myself. I am doing it, and soon will be able to say that I accomplished that. I took 21 credits over a summer so that I could graduate on time. I have been taking 18 credits for the last year. Was it hard? Yes, but I am able to say that I achieved success. I live my life through the good times and the bad times. We all do.

My biggest advice is to believe in yourself and to not let the struggles get you down. You are not alone, and when you lose belief, look toward your family and friends. I think belief makes things real and that life is real. Believe in yourself and your goals. The unthinkable can happen.

My journey continues through my senior year, which includes another difficult semester. However, I am able to look at the past and see what I accomplished in tough situations. I tell my story because we all have struggles, some more challenging than others. But everyone can relate to a time in their life when the future did not look good.

This path will conclude in May 2009 when I am with my friends at my graduation, but the aspirations and goals to achieve will never be concluded. After studying for four years, I realize that I am most passionate about working with people. As a public relations and advertising double major, my goal is to inspire positive thinking. I want to work with others and be part of a team. I want to teach children and work with them on their thoughts and positive cognition. I also want to work for a large advertising agency or public relations firm where I am able to make a difference and stretch the thinking of my future team.

Continuing My Journey

It’s scary to talk about the end of my Marquette journey, but it is something that I have been working toward my whole life. Senior year is bittersweet; something that is special but also scary. I cannot believe my path and how it has changed throughout the years, but I am glad because I feel like it has made me a stronger person.