Mallory Witzemann grew up in Normal, so when it came time to pick a college she was set—like a lot of her contemporaries—on going to a school many miles from home. Illinois State University was not on the short list for this incoming freshman.

“Honestly, choosing to go to ISU was a last-minute decision for me,” Witzemann said. “Growing up in Normal, I couldn’t see myself going to school at ISU, purely for the fact that it’s in my hometown.”

A Normal Community West High School graduate, Witzemann noticed something about the local university she was so familiar with when she started to research nursing programs.

“ISU has exactly what I was looking for and offered more opportunities than I realized,” she said. “Mennonite’s new Nursing Simulation Center and the opportunities for an enhanced education intrigued me.”

Witzemann was awarded the Redbird Academic Scholarship, which renews annually with continued good performance. She has been admitted to Illinois State’s Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN).

“I’m really excited to be a part of a such an exceptional program,” she said.

To get the full college experience, when she arrives on campus in August it will be as a resident of Tri-Towers residence hall. In addition, one face on campus will be more familiar than all the others as she’ll join her older brother, Max, who will be a sophomore in the fall. 

Witzemann will bring with her a passion for the environment and sustainability, which she pursued during high school. Influenced by her grandfather, a farmer, she saw firsthand the importance of being a good steward of the land.

She was the founding president of the Normal West Environmental Club. She was proud to create something that was important to her but also gave her peers a place to volunteer and learn and become environmentally aware.

“I plan to continue my work on sustainability issues at ISU,” she said. “It’s something I am very passionate about that has even guided me to pursue a major in nursing. I’ve always had a passion for health in all aspects, and I look forward to continuing my efforts at ISU.” 

She also plans to check out extracurriculars like sports and sorority and fraternity life.

“I played lacrosse and volleyball in high school and have played sports my whole life, so I think intramurals would be super fun,” she said. “I also plan to rush a sorority in the fall.”

Witzemann said she’s excited to meet new people and explore all the opportunities that her new school has to offer. One of those turned out to be a deciding factor in her decision to become a Redbird. After some recent travel experiences, including a foreign language trip to Europe earlier this summer with her high school, she liked the idea of being able to incorporate travel into her college studies.

“I’ve traveled abroad the past two summers, and that’s definitely something that I would like to continue,” she said. “I’m interested in Study Abroad and was also excited to hear about the special travel opportunities that the Honors Program offers.” 

With an in-demand degree like the one she’ll earn at MCN, Witzemann is excited to see where her nursing career takes her. She also has some entrepreneurial aspirations she hopes to explore eventually. 

“I’ll get my degree and work in nursing,” she said. “But I’m also interested in being involved in the ownership of a medical spa in the future.”

Read about all of the students featured in our “Newest Redbirds” series at News.IllinoisState.edu.