When I was in high school I would watch M*A*S*H twice a night (three times on Mondays) and was entranced as Hawkeye Pierce made us laugh . . .and think.
Now that I'm an adult I have a new Hawkeye in my life.
University of Iowa, you are about to receive a precious gift. When her mother and I brought her home from the hospital we could not conceive of the unbelievable journey she was about to take us on. We nurtured her, raised her, challenged her, did our best and now we present her to you.
When she walked at 11 and a half months we claimed her a genius.
At three she would lead us to the park, four blocks from our house.
When we took her to have pictures taken we unbiasedly identified her as the most beautiful child of her age in the entire world.
Two time captain of the cheerleading squad. Homecoming queen. National Honor Society Member. Top 10% of her graduating class. Yet her true accomplishments rank higher than any yardstick the organized educational system can install.
She has been an amazing friend to many. Volunteered for and impacted those less fortunate. Connected with people on a deep, personal level ranging in ages from two to 85. Her ability to interact with adults as well as peers and make all of them feel special and unique is unusual for a girl her age..
She is our Belle. Please keep the Beasts at bay. She deserves a prince. If there are none on campus we prefer she be allowed to challenge and expand her mind so she can be prepared to make dramatic contributions to whatever part of the medical field she sets her sights on.
She will make you proud and honored that she is a part of your family, just as she has done for us these past 18 years.
You should know that you were the first institution she visited. She sought out a few others and none were able to compare with what she felt was available among your hallowed halls. She will give you everything she has and more. Give her everything you have but don't forget to send her home for the holidays so we can once again envelope her in our warm embrace.
She is absolutely incredible. She loves candles if they smell good. She loves her cat. And inexplicably she loves Blake Shelton (ok, maybe she's not perfect).
She will make you laugh with the flick of an eyebrow. She will melt your heart with her laugh. She will break your heart when she sucks the marrow of knowledge from your bones and moves on to bigger and greater things four years from now.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
She is capable of multi-tasking, having volunteered, captained in cheerleading, nailed down awesome grades all at once. And proving it yet again, she is your newest alum and our baby girl, all at the same time.
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