Get to Know: Alicia Spurgin

During my time in Iowa, I have been grateful with all the friends I've made out there. But here is one in particular...

Alicia and I at some bar in Omaha, Nebraska

This is Alicia.

Why is this person special to me? Well, here's why...

Probably a month before walking at graduation, I found out that I had to do an internship in order to get my degree, which I could still walk at graduation but would have to get the internship done within the summer.

 I tried to find something out in Los Angeles but I couldn't reel anything in. 

Later when I could;t find an internship on my own, I talked to my advisor about an internship out in Iowa. He knew some connections and helped me get one at the Cedar Rapids Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

So that meant one thing: finding a place to live for the summer.

I asked my roommate from my 1st year at Mount Mercy University since he lived in a house and had a room opening up.

At first, I was all set up to move in with him, his now fiancée and a another roommate but he wanted me to stay there for a whole year which I wasn't planning to do.

So as it got closer to graduation, I was still homeless for the summer.

There was a house across the street from my school, which was the baseball house during the time I was there, I asked if I can live there but that fell through because the house because all the room were taken.

So one day I was with Alicia, talking to her about my situation for the summer.

When I mentioned that I needed a place to stay, she insisted of taking me in to her apartment for the summer. She said I would have to sleep on the futon in the living room but I couldn't refuse because she said I didn't have to pay rent but just pitch in for groceries every once in a while.

So on the day after my graduation, I packed everything in my car and moved in to Alicia's apartment.

During the time I moved into Alicia's and was her roommate for 3 months, one of my best memories I had with her was going to the College World Series with her and one of my teammates David.

Alicia, David and I with Mississippi State fans from Mississippi

When we were in Omaha, she wasn't a shy person so I knew she was going to talk to random people (And plus, majority of the midwest and southern people are super nice). Some people from Mississippi approached us and she started to mingle with them. Maybe if it weren't for Alicia being there, we wouldn't have made new friends from Mississippi. 

I never would have thought of going to Omaha during my life time, but thanks to Alicia and David, I could check that off the bucket list.

In brief, I couldn't be more grateful to Alicia with the kind act she has done for me. She provided me with a roof, food, and hospitality for the 3 months during the summer I was in Iowa. 

There's never a day that goes by where I don't think of how fortunate I am for having a friend like her.

Thank you Alicia for everything you have done for me!

Jun