Distinguished alumni offers words of hope, wisdom for leaders of tomorrow
It’s easy to feel trapped by West’s menacing halls, as the glare of the turquoise lockers and off-white tiles create an endless stream of dread. Classes drag on as the minute hand revolves around the clock all too slowly, eyes dancing back as they anticipate a five minute passing time, brief relief.
For many, the environment of school is daunting, as students associate it with the ever looming stress as consequence to their own procrastination. However, the brick building also plays home to opportunities for enhancement, and all who choose to follow them can experience the growth high school should stimulate. Sarah Schettle, who graduated from West in 2003, perfectly demonstrates the ability to soar on wings of love and philanthropy stronger than any storm of life. This is why she was awarded the 2024 Distinguished Alumni award, and was presented with the opportunity to speak with West students on April 23 in the Alberta Kimball Auditorium.
Between Student Council, Index, Forensics, and Pep Band, Schettle took advantage of every waking second of her time at West. In addition to challenging classes and extracurriculars, she excelled in Swim & Dive as well as Track and Field. Now, she spends her time as a physical assistant (PA) who has worked with Mayo Clinic and held the title of president of the International Consortium of Circulatory Assist Clinicians.
Many cannot fathom bouncing from activity to activity while squeezing in essays and math homework in the way Schettle did so seamlessly. However, she attributes her achievements to her ever glowing passion and the endless support she received throughout her high school career.
“To be honest, I didn’t necessarily have a lot of stress or burnout. I think all of the things I was involved in were really invigorating and exciting for me, and they weren’t things that I found draining,” she said. “The activities I did in high school helped motivate me and encourage me, and high school was a very enjoyable experience for me.”
One of Schettle’s track coaches, Lori Salzer, can attest to her never ending drive and optimistic spirit.
“She was an extremely hard worker and had one of the best attitudes of any athlete I have coached,” she said. “She has this willingness to work hard to get what she wants and she never stepped down from a challenge.”
However, periods of stress are inevitable. It is important to prioritize self preservation and find ways to release instead of carrying the burden.
“It’s helpful to have outlets to turn to when you experience stress and anxiety. For me, athletics were a good source of stress relief,” Schettle said. “It was very helpful to go for a run or a swim after school and those practices helped to burn off some of the stress I experienced from high levels of extracurricular involvement.”
Schettle maintained a similar mindset when it comes to combating stress in her career. The medical field is among one of the most difficult due to the expertise and persistence it requires, however, she barely notices because it is the career she’s always longed to pursue.
“Personally, I have loved being able to do what I do and it’s a tremendous honor and privilege to be able to take care of patients and provide them with medical care,” she said. “I find that to be highly valuable; it builds me up rather than tearing me down, and I find it more motivating to be able to go to work and do the same thing all over again.”
Even prior to high school, Schettle had the goal of entering the medical field somewhere in the back of her mind, and she worked towards this future with every pulse of her heart.
“I don’t ever remember a period of time where I didn’t want to work in medicine. I think it was always something that intrigued me because there’s a lot of different problems that require critical thinking and evaluation to find what the outcome and solution is,” she said. “You take the problem solving skills that you learned in high school and translate that to the field of medicine.”
On the other hand, high school is highly repetitive and Schettle’s career is the complete opposite. After all, organ malfunction is impossible to schedule or plan.
“My job varies from day to day, which is something I love about it,” she said. “I might be treating patients that are in the emergency department in another state, seeing patients in the hospital where I’m located, doing virtual visits or phone calls with patients all across the country, or picking patients up to have an implantable heart pump; there’s so many different things that I could do on any given day.”
Regardless of the task at hand, every day is exhilarating as Schettle is able to do what she loves most: interacting with patients and acquiring more expertise.
“To be able to help offer an option to prolong their life and improve their quality of life is very rewarding because not everyone has the opportunity to be a part of that and help people to that extent,” she said. “At Mayo, one of the mantras that people will frequently quote is that ‘the needs of the patient come first,’ and I think that being able to meet patient needs in meaningful ways is very rewarding because you can positively touch people’s lives in the realm of medicine.”
Senior member of the Distinguished Alumni Committee, Avery Pakula, had the privilege of speaking with Schettle and getting to know her more personally. Pakula was especially awestruck by Schettle’s selfless nature despite her countless achievements.
“I thought it was really empowering when she showed the video of her taking Trevor, one of her clients, to his daughter’s wedding,” she said. “She only talks about other people even though she’s so amazing, humble, and nice to talk to. She’s just such an admirable woman.”
As a member of the Distinguished Alumni Committee, Pakula and her peer representative counterparts hold the responsibility of looking through a packet full of candidates and assessing the impact they had on the school and community. In early autumn, the committee met to determine the 2024 awardee, and it was clear that it was Schettle’s time to receive the honors.
“We’ve been talking about Sarah for a few years. She sent us a 50-page PDF of all of her accomplishments and the amount of stuff she did at the Mayo Clinic and in her community in general is insane,” Pakula said. “She was definitely the person who stood out to everyone.”
In addition to the overwhelming credibility lying in the plentiful list of Schettle’s achievements, her reputation among West staff proves her worthiness.
“Teachers and community members’ testimonies of her from their time at school with her prove that she’s really a great person and a great candidate for the Distinguished Alumni role,” Pakula said.
AP U.S. History teacher, Andrew Britton, had the pleasure of working with Schettle in his challenging class. APUSH has a reputation for being difficult to manage and extremely exhausting, however, Britton recalls Schettle putting in a consistent effort year-round.
“She was very motivated and a really positive member of the class and class discussions. She was always a perfectionist in a good way, she always wanted to give one hundred percent,” he said.
Schettle was showered in kindness and admiration upon her brief return to West, and the compliments brough new validation to her years of hard work.
“To learn that other people have viewed you in this way and think so favorably of you just warms your heart and makes you feel like the things you’ve done have mattered,” she said.
Schettle could receive a world of praise without acquiring a single drop of arrogance. Flattery only leads to reflection as she takes time to appreciate the journey and every hand that held hers along the way.
“I certainly wouldn’t be in medicine if it weren’t for my parents, teachers, and other mentors in my life,” she said. “Receiving this award is truly a reflection of the amazing people I’ve had in my life and how much they have helped and invested in me to get to this point.”
Even after Schettle’s diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2020, she was able to receive adequate treatment while continuing to work full time, which she attributes to the support received from family and friends. While the cancer certainly brought unexpected turbulence to her life, it reminded Schettle to appreciate every moment and the people they’re spent with. She advises West students to be conscious with their time as well, since high school will not last forever.
“Ultimately, we all get a limited amount of time in our day, so make sure that you spend your time on things that are meaningful to you,” she said. “Whether that’s the people around you, activities you're involved with or planning what you want to do in your future pursuits. Life happens day-by-day, so it is important to make sure that you are intentional about how you spend that time.”
However, the world’s ever-imposed doom and gloom restrains one from appreciating the little joys within every day. For student’s stuck in the muck of redundancy, Schettle encourages them to keep their eyes on the future ahead, and take strides towards that reality.
“Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal, but at the end of the day, I think we’re all trying to be the best people that we can be,” she said. “There’s hard work, hiccups, and little setbacks along the way, but keeping focus on the end goal can be a big motivation.”
by Jazmine Blustin
Published May 20 2024
Oshkosh West Index volume 120 issue VIII