Meet Tanner Lewis and Courtney Harder

Hello and welcome to the Hixson Program!

My name is Tanner Lewis and I’m a 2011 Hixson Scholar from Mitchell County.  I am majoring in Chemical Engineering and I will be one of the peer mentors for the fall.  I am also one of the Programming Chairs for the Hixson Student Board.

The Hixson Student Board, aka HXSB, is an organization that works with the Hixson Program to provide various activities for Hixson Scholars throughout the year.  The Executive Board consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Programming Chairs, Publicity Chairs, Intramural Chair, Webmaster, and First-Year Class Representatives.   Being first-year Hixson Scholars, you will all be able to apply to be one of the two First-Year Class Representatives.  This position will inform HXSB of first-year Hixson news and report on HXSB news and upcoming events to the first-year Hixsons. 

Here are some of the HXSB events we had last year:

Tailgate:  Early in the semester, HXSB hosted a tailgate for one of the football games.   It’s a typical tailgate with food, music, games, and your fellow Hixson Scholars of course.

Pumpkin decorating:  The title doesn’t do the pumpkin decorating justice.  There is obviously some pumpkin decorating going on, but there is also food and plenty of time to acquaint yourself with some Hixson Scholars.  Just remember, you don’t have to be an artist to make an awesome looking pumpkin.

Pool Party:  The pool party was held in the State Gym Pool, where you could get some swimming in or relax in the hot tub.

Game Night:  This was a night of all sorts of games, food, and prizes.  There was a Mario Kart 64 tournament, Just Dance, and various board games.

Dead Week Study Break:  You’re first dead week might be a little rough, but you can come to this study break to relax a bit during the endless studying.

This is a general overview of the Hixson Student Board and most definitely doesn’t cover everything about it.  If you have any questions about HXSB, Iowa State, where to find the best chocolate milk in Ames, or anything really, feel free to send me an email at tclewis@iastate.edu.  I look forward to seeing all of you in the fall.  Enjoy the rest of your summer!

And now, a word from your Hixson Student Board President! 

I hope you’re all ready for the awesome adventure that awaits you at Iowa State..especially within the Hixson program! I’m Courtney Harder, a Junior in Agricultural Business and your 2013-14 Hixson Student Board President, and I’m writing to tell you about great opportunities within the Hixson program, including Hixson Student Board (HXSB).

First of all, HXSB has a bunch of great events for all Hixsons to participate in, including game nights, pumpkin decorating, Christmas card decorating, etc. These events are a great way to interact with Hixsons of all ages and sections, providing you with many valuable connections throughout your college and professional careers. Plus, they are tons of fun!

Our planned “kickoff” event is a pool party, which we hope to hold the first Tuesday of the semester (Aug 27th). The planning of this event is in the works, so we will be providing you with more information on this event later on in the summer. Look for emails and/or letters for more information!

As freshmen, many of you will be looking to gain leadership positions right off the bat, and HXSB provides a great opportunity for you to do so! We will have 2 Freshmen Representative positions, in which you will serve as a liaison between the Freshmen class and Hixson Student Board. This was my first experience within Hixson Student Board, and I definitely recommend it to all of you! We will provide you with information on the application and interview process at the beginning of the school year.

On behalf of Hixson Student Board, we look forward to seeing you in the fall and we hope you Enjoy Your Adventure at Iowa State!