To many students, Shawn Peterson might be one of the most recognizable faces on campus. The UNK senior is about as involved as one can get, bringing his leadership skills and vibrant personality to each organization he joins.
Peterson has truly flourished here, actively participating in Pi Kappa Alpha, Stomping Out the Stigma, the Black Students Association, student government, serving as a volunteer peer health educator and the assistant hall director for Centennial Towers West.
Yet, his journey to Kearney wasn’t exactly planned; Peterson actually landed at UNK by mistake.
Unfamiliar with the different campus locations within the Nebraska University system, he thought he’d applied to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This kind of mix-up might sound impossible to a Nebraska native – but Peterson is from Sint Maarten, a small Caribbean island that is about the same size as Kearney.
“I literally just looked up ‘cold colleges’ and the University of Nebraska came up,” Peterson said. “Me being me, I just found it on Google and decided to go.”
This go-with-the-flow mentality stems from his tropical upbringing.
Although he initially sought a colder college environment to escape the warm weather of his home, he now appreciates the things he took for granted back home.
“Growing up, everyone on the island goes to the beach every Sunday,” Peterson said. “If you want a good spot on a Sunday, you had to get there early. I used to hate the beach because my family went every week, and now I miss it.”
Peterson keeps in touch with his family in Sint Maarten primarily through Facetime. Although, funny enough, his recent nomination as homecoming royalty didn’t seem necessary to share until he made it as a finalist.
“When I finally told them, they were all excited and asking if there was any way they could vote for me,” Peterson said.
With hurricane season now in full swing, Peterson said these are the times when he misses his family the most and thinks of them often.
“The recent hurricanes have gotten worse after they passed the Caribbean, so my family wasn’t impacted the way that Florida was,” Peterson said. “But it’s just the thought of if something would happen, I am far from home now.”
This concern is related to his ultimate goal: becoming a doctor who works in disaster relief and travels around the world to respond to crisis situations.
Majoring in health sciences with a minor in public health, Shawn plans to attend graduate school next year to earn a master’s in public health with an emphasis in emergency and disaster management. Eventually, he aims to return to medical school to become an emergency medicine doctor.
“The dream job I want is for an international organization, similar to “Doctors Without Borders,’” Peterson said.
He is currently in the process of applying to graduate schools across the United States, both near and far from Kearney. It’s clear that he has made the most of his time at UNK.
“Shawn has good time management skills and is disciplined,” said Renae Zimmer, director of student engagement. “He is also respectful and cool under pressure situations. By the time he leaves UNK, he will have an impressive resume and a bright future.”
