Katie DH Tools Project
Hi! I'm Katie (she/her) and I'm a senior nursing student graduating in May. I will be working as a mental health nurse at Carle in town-- my absolute dream job and passion! I'm shown in this picture with my dad, who went to IWU and graduated with a math major and chemistry minor in 1990. We both had the same chemistry professor, Dr. Rettich, 33 years apart, both in second semester freshman year. He works as an actuary now for State Farm (can you tell I'm a townie?) and this picture is of us together after I gave him his flu and COVID shots (shared with permission) at an annual clinic. He said I did great-- he only learned a while later that he had been my first live recipient of an injection. My lab instructor, Stephanie, told me to just act confident and say "I've done this a hundred times," so I did. I told him the truth several months later, and have since gotten much more practice, but I still laugh at that story.
The tall one here is River, my fiancé. To answer your first question, they're 6'5", and your second, no, they aren't in the NBA or NFL. We've been together for eight years (we were high school sweethearts and met the first day of freshman year, talked all weekend, and then were going out by Monday-- I think it worked out pretty well.) They work as a paraprofessional at the high school where we met and love Dungeons and Dragons and Elden Ring. This picture was taken just after they proposed to me on August 10 (2 days before our 8 year anniversary, hence why I'm unprepared and not dressed nicely in this picture). They proposed to me over a DnD campaign, and we'll be married in the campus chapel in May and plan to live in town together after we go to Cape Cod, MA for our honeymoon.
I was born in Howell, MI (near the webbed part between your index finger and thumb if Michigan is a hand) but only lived there for a short time as a baby before we moved to Worcester (said "wuh-ster" in classic NE style, or "wuh-stAH" with a Boston accent, which is only 2hrs from where I grew up, so about a quarter of the kids I went to elementary school with had the accent, which I never caught.), Massachusetts. I was there 8 or 9 years, and used to go to Boston often with my family, but since I moved here halfway thru 5th grade, I hadn't been "out East" in about a decade. I can say with confidence that drivers out here in IL are saints compared to Boston, but that they're really missing out on actual seafood and Saint Patrick's day out here. Anyways, I was presenting at the TCNS research conference last October(2025) in Portland, Maine, and decided it would be sacrilege not to take a day trip back home
I'm shown here with the beautiful dress I said yes to-- and, even more beautiful, my mom (left) and my mother-in-law (right). My mom has supported me since I was a kid and helped me value arts and education in her work as a SpEd teacher. My MIL has an equally big heart, and she works as a family nurse practitioner. She convinced me to switch my major from pre-med to psychology to better support my career desires.
Humanistic Perspective Item
For my item, I picked one of my favorite paintings, which is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. This work is a classic example of impressionism, which, as I think I do, focuses on the small things (e.g. weather and lighting here) that make each moment uniquely beautiful. I think my perspective captures this appreciation for small details, which to me is a humanistic appreciation of beauty and the assignment of meaning to it.
Please enjoy these photos, arranged in chronological order (plus my DH item at the end)
My icebreaker question is: Which seat on the airplane is your go-to? I am a window seat lover.