Katie Greiman does it all.

Greiman, junior in communication studies, manages to serve as a senator in the Government of the Student Body, hold a cabinet position in a student organization and wear the crown of Iowa State Fair Queen.

It doesn’t bother her that she can’t hear as well as others because she was born prematurely.

Greiman, GSB disabilities senator, hasn’t let her disability keep her from achieving goals.

When she received her first hearing aids at the age of two, she said she knew she was different and even felt her disability was a curse.

Then, during her reign as State Fair Queen she ran into a little boy who changed her view of her disability.

“This little boy came up to me and noticed my hearing aids,” Greiman said. “He started signing with me. I found out he didn’t feel comfortable talking because of his hearing loss. He was so happy to sign with me and it made me feel so good to be able to communicate with him.”

This helped remind Greiman that she could use her disability to help others.

“I realized there are reasons this happened to me,” she said. “To show others we all face barriers in our lives, but they . don’t stop us from reaching for our goals.”

She has served as president of People Understanding Disabilities and is now its secretary.

The organization promotes awareness of disabilities and the issues the face on the ISU campus, Greiman said.

“She believes that educating people about disabilities is what we need to do,” said Mark Roepke, a member of People Understanding Disabilities.

Her key role in People Understanding Disabilities earned her an invitation to be disability senator for GSB.

She worked to save the GSB specialty seats last year so that the international, non-traditional, American ethnic minority and people with disabilities would continue to have a voice.

Through all her roles, Roepke said Greiman’s leadership actions are not stereotypical.

“A lot of women seem to think they need to become aggressive . Katie leads by force of her personality, not force of voice or force of aggression,” said Roepke, freshman in pre-business.