MASON CITY – Stephanie Hengesteg of Northwood and Tammy Thompson of Britt are the winners of North Iowa Area Community College’s Extreme Makeover: College Edition. Each will receive free NIACC tuition plus textbooks and more for the 2013-14 school year.
“I’m so excited to win!” Thompson said. “I have been working 25-plus years in jobs from washing dishes at restaurants to managing a rental store, endless factory jobs, telemarketing, and others, which are not bad jobs, just not what I would’ve thought I’d be doing at age 40,” Thompson said. “Last July, after 17 wonderful years of marriage, I lost my husband suddenly to a heart attack. The last nine months have been hard on me and my four children, but things are slowly coming together. They are all teenagers, and keep me busy with all their activities and such. But, I would like to change my path too.”
Hengesteg said she cannot wait to start school in the fall. “I am so happy to win this contest. This is the best opportunity and I am so grateful that NIACC does this.”
She graduated from high school in 1986 but said her parents never really talked about college. “I am the youngest of six and by the time I graduated I think my parents were tired and ready to get their life back. They had done their job, raising six children with little or no problems and all of them had very strong work ethics. My dad, who I was very close to, passed away in 2010. He was my idol. I think of him today because the number one reason I didn’t go to college was fear and that was something he did not have.”
The other three finalists — Tammy Charlson of Plymouth, Pamela Engelking of Clear Lake, Johnnie Meyering Jr of Mason City, will receive $1,000 scholarships to NIACC.