IU Kokomo freshman, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

When she was 10 years old, Sunny Jewell discovered her life’s ambition. Jewell watched as her mother gave birth to a baby girl, and then Jewell took part in the delivery process by helping the doctor cut her baby sister’s umbilical cord. “I saw firsthand the miracle of life and ever since then that’s what I’ve wanted to do,” Jewell says.

Now Jewell is a freshman pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at IU Kokomo. A 2005 graduate of Eastern High School in Greentown, Jewell hopes to obtain a midwifery license after earning her degree so she can be a nurse midwife in the Greentown or Kokomo area. She’d like to work in a maternity ward in a hospital, practicing alternative birthing methods, which she said are becoming more popular.

Jewell is a Hoosier Presidential Scholar, and she earned a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. Jewell also received a Pell Grant and a one-year memorial scholarship award from the Kokomo Golden K Kiwanis Club.

During her first year at IU Kokomo, Jewell would like to join the Student Union Board and Student Government Association. “The Student Union Board does many activities during the school year to make the campus fun,” Jewell says. “However, what I want most from this coming year is top grades. I want to be able to get into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with no problem.”