CON Student Meghan Hammen wins State of Iowa Character Award. - The University of Iowa College of Nursing

CON Student Meghan Hammen wins State of Iowa Character Award.

University of Iowa College of Nursing student and daughter of Dean’s Secretary Kim Geguzis, Meghan Hammen, was honored as a 2009 Citizen of Character at the Character Counts Awards Banquet in Des Moines on Saturday, October 17. The Citizen of Character award is presented to individuals whose actions demonstrate and model continuous commitment to the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

Hammen was nominated by former CON employee Sue Licher, for her inclination to “seek out opportunities to ‘give back’ and take on leadership roles where she always gives 100%.”

Hammen has been an active participant in Dance Marathon, a philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting oncology patients who are being treated at the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital. Last year she was the Dance Marathon Hospital Chair, which involved being a full-time hospital volunteer and visiting the pediatric inpatient unit. She has also volunteered at the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon, participated in Relay for Life and many other philanthropic activities. She recently spent two weeks in St. Lucia working at a clinic with impoverished diabetic patients. Hammen has been involved in many school activities throughout high school and college while maintaining a 3.99 GPA.

Licher’s nomination reads, “Meghan is one of the people in her generation who will work tirelessly to make our world a better place – one good choice, one right decision, one selfless contribution, one act of kindness at a time.”