Top Extension student juggles school, 4 kids
After a 12-year absence from school, Kiersten Hewitt has returned to earn a college degree. Hewitt is attending Utah State University’s Brigham City Campus and has been instrumental in organizing programs to benefit non-traditional students like herself.
While maintaining a cumulative 3.98 grade-point average, Hewitt, a single mother of four, developed a childcare center on the Brigham City Campus, organized a family fair also held in Brigham City, provides workshops to help students cope with everyday issues and is involved in student government.
“I find it difficult to sit still. If something needs to be done, instead of asking someone to do it, I dive in and do it. When I have ideas, I don’t sit on them,” Hewitt said. “It is meaningful to serve others.”
The childcare center offers a place for non-traditional students to take their children while they attend classes and is designed to meet the needs of newborns through school-age children, she said. It first began operating in the fall of 2004 and had a capacity of 10 children and a new childcare center is currently being built that will accommodate 53 children.
Hewitt also organized a family fair that has been held on Brigham City’s campus for the past two years. Andy Shinkle, executive director of the USU Brigham City campus, said the fair originally began to bring social services and state organizations to one location for the benefit of students.
“When we first started the fair, I expected 100-200 attendees, but we have had 5,000 each year,” Shinkle said.
Workshops also started by Hewitt are held every two weeks to help non-traditional students manage stress, time, financial issues and parenting. Hewitt teaches many of them and has also been a motivational speaker for years.
Hewitt was student body president for two years and is now program coordinator for the facility.
Shinkle said she has been instrumental in the organization of student government. “Before, our student government was not very effective. They had one or two simple local events a year. Kiersten brought monthly events and major events. Student government was organized and expanded under Kiersten’s guidance,” he said.
She said her involvement in student government allowed her to develop “Angels for Christmas.” This program raises money to provide Christmas for local, lower-income families and works with human service agencies to identify families in need of help, she said.
Hewitt also said this will be the only Sub for Santa program in Box Elder County this year because it is so successful. “Angels for Christmas” raised more than $18,000 in 2004 to provide Christmas for underprivileged families in the Brigham City area and she said it expects to serve 200 families and 500 children this year.
Hewitt was named the top non-traditional student in the West by the University Continuing Education Association. The award requires that the student’s education be interrupted for at least two years and that the student is 25 or older. Volunteer service, grades and unconventional circumstances the student has overcome are also considered.
Hewitt said, “It was an honor. I felt quite humbled to receive the award. But I do the things I do because they need to be done, not because I want recognition.”
Hewitt was also Utah State University Woman of the Year in 2004. “Students throughout the Utah State University system are eligible for nomination for this award and Kiersten was the first non-traditional student ever to receive the award in its 55 year history,” Jack Payne, vice president and dean for Extension and Continuing Education, said.
Hewitt recently applied to study an executive program at Brigham Young University. “I love my job at USU,” she said while noting that she hopes to stay in university administration. She also said, “It is really neat to see what continued education has to offer. I love USU. We have a very unique university.”
-ariek@cc.usu.edu