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Hobbies and interests
Advocacy And Activism
Education
Board Games And Puzzles
Child Development
Clinical Psychology
Community Service And Volunteering
Counseling And Therapy
English
Ethics
Gender Studies
Spanish
Kaylee Kallerud
345
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/img768769180d8f84f64ef398809c9b4545f65f.webp)
Kaylee Kallerud
345
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
For the majority of my life, I have let my diabetes define my life, create limitations, and dictate my self-worth. After living with diabetes for a decade, my diabetes has created many obstacles in my life - both emotionally and financially. Over the years, hospital bills, medications, and mandatory wellness exams have caused financial strain within my family with minimal help from the government to provide the necessary medications to live. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to afford to attend the diverse and prestigious UW-Madison to devote my life to attaining a deeper insight into the complexities that form and progress humanity. It will give me the opportunity to genuinely create a positive impact and hopefully improve humanityś quality of life. But above all, it allows me to follow my dream of fostering positive changes and promoting a more empathetic world; no matter how small that change may be. I believe that my passion and empathy drive me to be the best version of myself allowing me to create the change I wish to see.
Education
Waupun Senior High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Psychology, General
- Sociology
Career
Dream career field:
Human Resources
Dream career goals:
My long-term career goal is to be able to help people change their perspective of the world. As a Type Once Diabetic, I have struggled with my mental health and I want to use my interest in psychology to help people improve their lives. I also want to research the mechanics of the brain and study human interaction to provide more understanding to our thought patterns..
Public services
Volunteering
National Honor Society — I was a volunteer and gave input for hosting community events2023 – PresentAdvocacy
Future Business Leaders of America — I was a member2023 – PresentPublic Service (Politics)
Student Council — I was a member of student council and a volunteer within the community2023 – PresentVolunteering
Key Club — I was a volunteer2022 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
District 27-A2 Lions Diabetes Awareness Scholarship
At eight years old, I was forced to grow up. At eight years old my childhood came to an end, and I would never experience what it's like to be a carefree child without any responsibilities. At eight years old, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes and the doctors had no answers as to why.
On July 24, 2014, my parents would take me to my family doctor because I had an unquenchable thirst; for white milk, flavored water, apple juice, and especially chocolate milk. I would be sent to the Children’s Hospital an hour away and would then be shown how to administer shots and regulate my blood sugar. I would then need to attend nutrition classes for the next two years to understand how food affects me differently than anyone else. And worse yet, at eight years old, I would have to experience the feeling of being different.
“Why does she get to eat snacks in the middle of class and I don’t?”
“Why does she get to go to lunch earlier than the rest of us?”
I was eleven when I fully realized that I would have to live with this condition for the rest of my life and the effects that accompany it.
I had to be prepared for the what-ifs and the situations in which I was without my parents. Which meant that I was inadvertently forced to teach myself how to be resilient and independent. I realized that how I viewed myself would heavily impact how I treated myself and advocating for my mental and physical health meant building my confidence. Without it, I would be scared to ask for accommodations in public settings, and neglect recognition of any symptoms in hopes of avoiding the embarrassment. But it was through this independence, that I taught myself how to advocate and persevere through any challenges that I encountered throughout my life. I remember teaching my graduating class about diabetes in the sixth grade to decrease the stigma of type one diabetes being a contagious and self-inflictive disease. And I remember that at the age of sixteen, I no longer was ashamed of saying I had an incurable autoimmune disease. And with encouragement from my loved ones, I learned to overcome my low self-esteem and love myself because of my diabetes. It was this thought that sparked my passion to never let anyone feel inferior or experience a thought pattern that is damaging to their self-image like I once had.
Over time, I developed resilience when overcoming the obstacles that accompanied my chronic condition, and I gained a unique perspective on life and human experiences. I have always been an empathic person, but diabetes amplified that trait and I became attuned to the struggles and triumphs of others. I responded just as strongly to someone else’s emotions as if they were my own and in turn, learned how to connect with people on a deeper level by drawing on my own experiences to empathize with them. Through this, I gained insights into the diversity of human nature, social dynamics, and how personal experiences shape one’s values. These insights fostered my fascination with psychology's scientific findings and their far-reaching consequences for individuals and society as a whole.
I aspire to devote my life to expanding on these findings and attain a deeper insight into the complexities that form and progress humanity. But above all, I want to prioritize fostering positive changes and promoting a more empathetic world; no matter how small that change may be.