Not many students have the opportunity to come to Iowa State on a full scholarship, and not many people have the money to send a student to college without taking out loans.

Each year, Christina Hixson, an Iowa native, gives students from each Iowa county the opportunity to attend ISU with a full scholarship. Hixson was in Ames this weekend to meet and talk to all of her scholarship winners.

Nicole Peckumm, sophomore in sports management from Greene County, was a winner of the Hixson award in 1997.

“It’s a scholarship for the student who isn’t valedictorian or the person who scores a 36 on the ACT; it’s for the average student that may not get the opportunities that everyone does,” Peckumm said.

Debra Sanborn, program coordinator of Special Recruitment Programs, said there are several requirements students who apply for the scholarship have to meet.

She said applicants must possess a need for financial assistance, meet acceptance requirements to ISU, be a resident of Iowa and have faced challenges of financial or personal hardship in their lives.

Students applying for the scholarship also must write an essay explaining why they deserve to receive the award.

Once students have been awarded the scholarship, they must meet two community service requirements during their freshman year at ISU.

Winners of the scholarship must write an essay to be published in their hometown newspaper that describes the value of a college education. They also must return to their hometown high schools and speak to students about college and their experiences at ISU.

“The award provided me with the opportunity to make friends when I first arrived at ISU,” Peckumm said. “You meet the other winners of the scholarship and see them around campus, and you know you have something in common with them.”

Sanborn also explained that once a student has won the scholarship, he or she must continue to be a part of the program. The freshmen are each paired with the past year’s winners from their counties, and the older student is a mentor for them.

“It provides the incoming freshman with a source on campus that they can turn to with questions,” Sanborn said. “Iowa State is a big place, and it helps the students feel more at home.”

Benji Rouse, freshman in genetics from Palo Alto County, was a 1998 Hixson scholarship winner.

“Having a mentor has been a great help for me,” Rouse said. “It was nice knowing that there is someone here I could ask for help.”

Peckumm also said when she received the scholarship, it was only applicable her first year of college. Last April, Hixson announced that the scholarship would be renewable for four years.

The scholarship is now a $10,000 scholarship, and the requirement for renewing the scholarship is that the student maintains a 2.0 GPA after their fourth semester, Sanborn said.

“The whole program is great,” Rouse said.

Rouse said winning the Hixson scholarship has taken a lot of financial worries away from him and his parents.

“I was already looking into other scholarships and thinking about taking out loans before I won this award,” he said.

Sanborn said the reason for Hixson’s generosity is because she wanted to give students the opportunity to go to college, an opportunity that she didn’t receive.

Rouse said he escorted Hixson to Saturday’s ISU football game, where he had the chance to talk with her.

“She’s a great lady, very personable,” Rouse said.

When asked why he thinks Hixson gives the scholarships to average students instead of valedictorians, Rouse said “I think she wants to support someone who will work hard and appreciate the education they are getting, and someone who might not have been able to go to college otherwise.”