Name: Jacky Arness
Age: 19
Hometown: Fargo, ND
College: Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
Major: Double Major: Political Science/International Relations; Minor: Theatre Arts (and maybe a 2nd?! The possibilities are endless!!!)
Age: 19
Hometown: Fargo, ND
College: Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
Major: Double Major: Political Science/International Relations; Minor: Theatre Arts (and maybe a 2nd?! The possibilities are endless!!!)
Favorite food: SUSHI
Favorite TV show: The Walking Dead!!! It’s helping me prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
Current #1 most played song on your iPod: (it’s a tie)… What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger): by Kelly Clarkson, and Domino: by Jessie J
Favorite quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi
Favorite time of year: CHRISTMAS!!!!! But I also love early August. Perfect summer weather!
Plan ahead OR procrastinate: I plan ahead with life-related issues, but procrastinate on things like homework. I’m trying to get better about that though!
Paper OR plastic: PAPER. Keeps me conscious and responsible for what I’m spending. It’s a lot harder to hand over cash than to just swipe a card, so it helps me decide what I really need to buy! Wait…this question is about money….right?!
Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: Half-full kiddos. Always.
Introvert OR extrovert: Ambivert. I love to be with my friends and go out. I love trying new things and going new places. That being said, there aren’t many things that can beat a good book and a cup of tea for hours on end. You just have to find the balance and know that it’s OK to take time for yourself. It makes being social that much more fun!
Cats OR Dogs: Dogs. I will be a dog-person forever. They are always happy to see you and don’t care what you look like or how your test went! They are just full of kisses and love <3
Morning person OR night person: Definitely a night-person!!! I sleep all day and stay up all night no problem.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you absolutely need for survival?
OK. Fact about me, I LOVE the wilderness and the outdoors. Camping? Sign me up. So, practically, I would bring a knife, a magnesium block, and a solar-charged flashlight. The knife has numerous practical uses, not only for protection, but for building shelter, securing food etc. The magnesium block would be used to create a fire, perhaps one of the most important survival tools. By striking the blade of your knife against the magnesium block, you can create a rather substantial spark. With practice, you can use this numerous times to procure a flame. Lastly, although there are MANY items that would be useful for survival, I would bring a flashlight. Because being able to see at night would be a good thing on a deserted island.
What is your biggest fear?
Failure. I hold myself to really high standards, and when I don’t succeed, or if I feel like I don’t get out of something what I put into it I get really upset with myself. I’m always pushing myself to do my best and to be my best (to BE MY BEST SELF!!!) but I have to remember that sometimes even when I’m doing my best, things aren’t meant to be! So I continue to push myself and give my all because I think that is where success comes from.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you about college life that you had to find out on your own?
DO NOT OVERCOMMIT YOURSELF! In high school I was in a ton of activities so naturally when I got to college I wanted to be involved in as many things as I could! There was so much variety and so many different clubs and activities to get involved with that before I knew it, I was in way over my head. If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be to take it slow. You can always add more activities, but right away at the beginning I had bitten off more than I could chew. So when you get to college, take your time and figure out what feels right. Then when you have your bearings you can always join a club, or maybe even wait until the next year to join! There is so much you can get involved with, just make sure you know what you’re getting into so you can fully invest and truly enjoy what it is you decide to be a part of in college.
What is one goal you have set for yourself and achieved? What is one goal that still remains to be achieved?
I really wanted to be accepted into the Honors Program at Bethel. It was a big goal of mine and something I felt really passionate about. I got accepted and I was SO pumped! So far the program has been awesome and has really challenged me in a lot of ways. A goal I have yet to achieve is to graduate summa cum laude. Summa cum laude is the highest academic honor classification you can receive upon graduation from college. That’s what I’ve got my sights on now!
Sum yourself up in three words.
Passionate, loving, and blessed.
Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience.
I could easily write a novel on Nationals. I know that the term “the best” gets applied to a lot of things in our lives, but I really mean it when I say that Distinguished Young Women National Finals was the best two weeks of my life. I wouldn’t trade the time I spent there, the things I learned, or the friendships I made for anything. I was part of an incredible group of beautiful, talented, intelligent, funny, and caring girls who inspired me to be better and who taught me to love myself. Did I mention that I made 49 new best friends? The day that truly summed up the Nationals experience for me was definitely Finals Night. My situation with Distinguished Young Women was different from most other girls as I came into it very last minute. But from the very first day I have never felt so welcomed and accepted by a group of people as I did by my host family, the staff, the volunteers, and particularly the other girls. For two weeks we worked hard, sweated hard, laughed hard, and played hard. I remember the first time after we ran through the fitness routine together and we all just looked at each other in shock, then by the prelims we were looking like we’d been doing that routine our whole lives! On Finals Night I was so lucky to be standing next to the girl who’d become my closest friend at Nationals, Devin Kearns from Oklahoma. Right before we had gone onstage for the Finals Night opening number we had been joking about how there was no way out of all these AMAZING girls we would make top ten. Then, right away, Devin was called and right after her they called my name. I couldn’t believe it. I was so blessed to meet her and become so close with her. We were laughing so hard after they called our names, and when I re-watch the Finals Night DVD I can still see how red I was and remember exactly what we were saying. I don’t remember too much of Finals very clearly after that, because it was such an adrenaline rush, until the very end after they’d announced Katye as Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2011 and all 50 of us rushed in for a giant group hug onstage. Because that’s what it was all about. Of course it was a competition, but the most important thing was the people. Something they always said to us was that there was no winner from the representatives, but a representative of the winners. And I believe that wholeheartedly, because knowing these girls and the memories I have with them are something I can’t imagine my life without now.
Paper OR plastic: PAPER. Keeps me conscious and responsible for what I’m spending. It’s a lot harder to hand over cash than to just swipe a card, so it helps me decide what I really need to buy! Wait…this question is about money….right?!
Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: Half-full kiddos. Always.
Introvert OR extrovert: Ambivert. I love to be with my friends and go out. I love trying new things and going new places. That being said, there aren’t many things that can beat a good book and a cup of tea for hours on end. You just have to find the balance and know that it’s OK to take time for yourself. It makes being social that much more fun!
Cats OR Dogs: Dogs. I will be a dog-person forever. They are always happy to see you and don’t care what you look like or how your test went! They are just full of kisses and love <3
Morning person OR night person: Definitely a night-person!!! I sleep all day and stay up all night no problem.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you absolutely need for survival?
OK. Fact about me, I LOVE the wilderness and the outdoors. Camping? Sign me up. So, practically, I would bring a knife, a magnesium block, and a solar-charged flashlight. The knife has numerous practical uses, not only for protection, but for building shelter, securing food etc. The magnesium block would be used to create a fire, perhaps one of the most important survival tools. By striking the blade of your knife against the magnesium block, you can create a rather substantial spark. With practice, you can use this numerous times to procure a flame. Lastly, although there are MANY items that would be useful for survival, I would bring a flashlight. Because being able to see at night would be a good thing on a deserted island.
What is your biggest fear?
Failure. I hold myself to really high standards, and when I don’t succeed, or if I feel like I don’t get out of something what I put into it I get really upset with myself. I’m always pushing myself to do my best and to be my best (to BE MY BEST SELF!!!) but I have to remember that sometimes even when I’m doing my best, things aren’t meant to be! So I continue to push myself and give my all because I think that is where success comes from.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you about college life that you had to find out on your own?
DO NOT OVERCOMMIT YOURSELF! In high school I was in a ton of activities so naturally when I got to college I wanted to be involved in as many things as I could! There was so much variety and so many different clubs and activities to get involved with that before I knew it, I was in way over my head. If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be to take it slow. You can always add more activities, but right away at the beginning I had bitten off more than I could chew. So when you get to college, take your time and figure out what feels right. Then when you have your bearings you can always join a club, or maybe even wait until the next year to join! There is so much you can get involved with, just make sure you know what you’re getting into so you can fully invest and truly enjoy what it is you decide to be a part of in college.
What is one goal you have set for yourself and achieved? What is one goal that still remains to be achieved?
I really wanted to be accepted into the Honors Program at Bethel. It was a big goal of mine and something I felt really passionate about. I got accepted and I was SO pumped! So far the program has been awesome and has really challenged me in a lot of ways. A goal I have yet to achieve is to graduate summa cum laude. Summa cum laude is the highest academic honor classification you can receive upon graduation from college. That’s what I’ve got my sights on now!
Sum yourself up in three words.
Passionate, loving, and blessed.
Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience.
I could easily write a novel on Nationals. I know that the term “the best” gets applied to a lot of things in our lives, but I really mean it when I say that Distinguished Young Women National Finals was the best two weeks of my life. I wouldn’t trade the time I spent there, the things I learned, or the friendships I made for anything. I was part of an incredible group of beautiful, talented, intelligent, funny, and caring girls who inspired me to be better and who taught me to love myself. Did I mention that I made 49 new best friends? The day that truly summed up the Nationals experience for me was definitely Finals Night. My situation with Distinguished Young Women was different from most other girls as I came into it very last minute. But from the very first day I have never felt so welcomed and accepted by a group of people as I did by my host family, the staff, the volunteers, and particularly the other girls. For two weeks we worked hard, sweated hard, laughed hard, and played hard. I remember the first time after we ran through the fitness routine together and we all just looked at each other in shock, then by the prelims we were looking like we’d been doing that routine our whole lives! On Finals Night I was so lucky to be standing next to the girl who’d become my closest friend at Nationals, Devin Kearns from Oklahoma. Right before we had gone onstage for the Finals Night opening number we had been joking about how there was no way out of all these AMAZING girls we would make top ten. Then, right away, Devin was called and right after her they called my name. I couldn’t believe it. I was so blessed to meet her and become so close with her. We were laughing so hard after they called our names, and when I re-watch the Finals Night DVD I can still see how red I was and remember exactly what we were saying. I don’t remember too much of Finals very clearly after that, because it was such an adrenaline rush, until the very end after they’d announced Katye as Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2011 and all 50 of us rushed in for a giant group hug onstage. Because that’s what it was all about. Of course it was a competition, but the most important thing was the people. Something they always said to us was that there was no winner from the representatives, but a representative of the winners. And I believe that wholeheartedly, because knowing these girls and the memories I have with them are something I can’t imagine my life without now.
