When Kathryn Wittrock (’23) was deciding where to attend college, she considered several options but was ultimately pulled to follow her family’s legacy at Iowa State University.
“My family has strong ties to the ISU community,” Wittrock says. “I’m the 16th member of my family to go to Iowa State, and every decade since 1920 there has been a person from my family there.”
Currently a medical student at the University of Iowa, Wittrock credits her Iowa State education in biochemistry and microbiology for providing a solid foundation to build on and making the transition to medical school easier. In addition to her dual degrees at ISU, Wittrock pursued a minor in French and studied abroad in Paris. Now she’s taking medical French courses and plans to spend the summer working at a hospital in a French-speaking part of Central Africa.
“I’m glad I took the chance to study abroad and that I kept up with French at Iowa State,” she says. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have this opportunity.”
Outside of the classroom, Wittrock worked in hemodynamics and virology research labs, participated in the Stupka Symposium and Pre-Health Club, and served as a Ronald McDonald House volunteer. These experiences further solidified her interest in medicine, and she’s considering a specialty in pediatric surgery.
“I enjoy working with children and families, which is a lot of what my volunteer work has been,” she says. “And I like the hands-on aspect of surgery because you know you’re making a real difference.”
In recognition of her academic achievements and extracurricular activities, Wittrock received several awards: She was a National Merit Scholar, a President’s Leadership Class member, and an Iowa State Alumni Association Wallace E. Barron Award recipient, among others.
Coming from a proud Cyclone family, she says she’s grateful for these honors and plans to stay connected to her Iowa State roots through an ISUAA life membership that her dad, Eric Wittrock (’92), gifted her for graduation.