![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation-2018.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKourtney Conn, a recent graduate from Arizona State University, is built to help others — it\u2019s practically in her DNA.<\/p>\n
In the third grade, Conn made flyers by hand to encourage her neighbors to donate money to breast cancer research.<\/p>\n
At that age, she dreamt of growing up to be a \u201cdoctor-astronaut\u201d who lived in Africa, but could hop in her spaceship to quickly shoot over and help the next person in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goals have changed a little since then, but my purpose has always stayed the same,\u201d Conn said.<\/p>\n
In the sixth grade, she organized a fundraising competition between classes to raise money for malaria nets in Africa.<\/p>\n
Instead of asking for gifts during for her childhood birthdays parties, she asked her guests to bring donations for charitable causes, including money for Habitat for Humanity, baby supplies for single mothers and non-perishable food for food banks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wanted a life that focused on loving other people,\u201d Conn said.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s off to a good start.<\/p>\n
For the past six years, Conn and her family have been taking annual trips to Somoto, Nicaragua, where they help build houses, supply families with needed donations, visit nursing homes to spend time with the elderly, provide expectant single mothers with essential newborn supplies, and help pay for local students to attend college, among other good deeds.<\/p>\n
Conn specifically remembers one rewarding story of a friend she made in Somoto, who, for the purposes of this article, she calls John.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I met John, we were both probably 16 and learning each other\u2019s languages,\u201d she said. \u201cWe would stand on the worksite tying rebar for the houses and have these broken, messy English\/Spanish conversations, because we both wanted to practice speaking and hearing the language we were learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
John, at the time, would only speak in English when he was alone with Conn. He was shy and quiet, and hadn\u2019t yet built up the confidence to speak English to others.<\/p>\n
\u201cLater that week, someone was talking about our sponsorship program that sends young people to university to study the career of their choice and mentioned that John was on the list for a sponsor and hopeful to someday study English and become an interpreter,\u201d said Conn.<\/p>\n
There was no question in her mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately burst into tears because I realized that, duh, I \u2018had\u2019 to pay for John to go to university!\u201d Conn said.<\/p>\n
When she got back to the United States, Conn went through the process of funding the scholarship. She would return every year to see John\u2019s English skills improve.<\/p>\n
And just a few years later — like a fairy tale ending — she returned to Somoto to find John employed as the English\/Spanish interpreter for their volunteer group.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that memory is so important to me because it highlights the importance of empowerment,\u201d Conn said. \u201cOf believing in the value and brilliance of others. Of giving people a hand-up instead of a hand-out. It was incredible to watch the way that my simply funding John\u2019s access to education had developed him as a person and provided him with opportunities for future income.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conn credits these trips to Somoto, along with her friendship with John, for inspiring her to pursue a career in social work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I am positively impacting the lives of others through service or sacrifice, I feel like I belong, like I am right where I\u2019m supposed to be,\u201d she said. \u201cI think spending time serving others in Nicaragua helped me to realize the passion I had for living a life of selflessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conn, who recently graduated from Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, is clearly driven and successful for her age, but her path has not been without its bumps.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Conn struggles with dysthymia, also known as “persistent depressive disorder,” but she continues to persevere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing about depression is that it\u2019s not always just crying in bed (although don\u2019t get me wrong, that\u2019s definitely a part of it). It also affects your motivation, your self-esteem, your energy levels, the way your brain processes things, and more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Conn recognizes that living with dysthymia has been an obstacle to her educational career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were days when going to class felt like an impossible task and days where I just wanted to sleep,\u201d Conn said. \u201cI often felt insecure or indifferent towards my own academics, feeling as though nothing I was doing really mattered that much, or that I wasn\u2019t doing as well as everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
But she doesn\u2019t let her mental illness define her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important to emphasize that depression (and mental illness in general) is part of me, I am not part of it,\u201d Conn said. \u201cWhile it did, and probably always will, have a significant role in my life, I try to constantly remember that I am not just my mental health diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
She encourages other students struggling with depression, and mental illness in general, to speak out and ask for help when they need it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s such a stigma about being transparent enough about one\u2019s struggle to seek professional help, and I think that sort of vulnerability shows strength, not weakness,\u201d Conn said. \u201cI wish I had sought professional support sooner, rather than convinced myself for years that it was something to be ashamed about.\u201d<\/p>\n
In regards to her life now, Conn definitely has nothing to be ashamed about. She is building a career for herself while providing others with the items they need to live and the opportunities they need to grow.<\/p>\n
Currently, she\u2019s back in her hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, but she plans to return to ASU to receive her master\u2019s degree in social work and a certificate in gender-based violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that, I have lots of big dreams — including getting my doctorate, starting a non-profit, or traveling abroad — so I\u2019m trying to take it one step at a time, and I\u2019ll decide my future plans someday!\u201d Conn said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kourtney Conn, a recent graduate from Arizona State University, is built to help others — it\u2019s practically in her DNA. In the third grade, Conn made flyers by hand to encourage her neighbors to donate money to breast cancer research. At that age, she dreamt of growing up to be a \u201cdoctor-astronaut\u201d who lived in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":29515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[258,259,260,247,261,646,230,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona-state-university-downtown-phoenix","category-arizona-state-university-polytechnic","category-arizona-state-university-skysong","category-arizona-state-university-tempe","category-arizona-state-university-west","category-making-a-difference","category-news","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation-224x144.jpg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation-300x193.jpg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Kourtney Conn, a recent graduate from Arizona State University, is built to help others — it\u2019s practically in her DNA. In the third grade, Conn made flyers by hand to encourage her neighbors to donate money to breast cancer research. At that age, she dreamt of growing up to be a \u201cdoctor-astronaut\u201d who lived in…","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/kourtney-graduation.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}