Courtesy成人头条 sophomore Hayley Fry applied for the National Student Exchange program in spring 2009. She wanted to gain new knowledge and have more learning experiences.
鈥淚 wanted to see what a bigger university in a more metropolitan area was like,鈥� she said. 鈥淪omething I didn鈥檛 really expect was to gain a greater appreciation for Kansas and WSU.鈥�
NSE allows WSU students to attend another participating university while paying WSU tuition and working toward a WSU degree.
Fry attended California State University Northridge from August to December. She had planned to stay the whole academic year, but budget cuts at CSUN kept her from taking necessary science and math classes.
鈥淚 came back to WSU to finish (the) classes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was excited to be home.鈥�
Fry stayed in the on-campus apartments and had her car in California, so she was able to see the many attractions Los Angeles offers.
鈥淚t was amazing to get to explore southern California, and I went so many different places,鈥� she said.
While in L.A., Fry went to tapings of 鈥淭he Doctors鈥� talk show and sat in the front row of the Jay Leno show. Two weeks before 鈥淭he Price is Right鈥� game show was set to tape on Oct. 27, she bought tickets online.
During the game show, four contestants are chosen from the audience to place a bid on an item. The player who bids closest to the actual price without going over wins and gets to play a mini-game for a prize.
One contestant, chosen through elimination, gets the chance to win a showcase prize. In Fry鈥檚 case, she had the chance to win a 2010 Ford Mustang.
鈥淚t felt unreal when I heard my name announced,鈥� she said.
She said she freaked out, screamed and ran down the aisle waving her hands in the air.
鈥淚 wish I would have thought more about the fact that people were going to see it on national television,鈥� she said.
Fry missed winning the car by $20, but she did walk away with two underwater digital cameras.
鈥淚t was an amazing experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he cast and crew were all great people.鈥�
She was even able to speak with host Drew Carey during breaks. The episode aired Jan. 12.
Back at WSU, Fry is preparing for her future in nursing, the program that attracted her to the university. She said nursing will give her the chance to help people and continue her education after college.
鈥淚 have always wanted to work in health care,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 chose nursing because there are so many opportunities and different areas (to) work in.鈥�
Kent Thomas, biological sciences lecturer, said Fry has what all nurses need.
鈥淪he鈥檚 got the personality, as well as the focus, the drive and the smarts,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of professionals we want out there.鈥�
Fry wants to work in the emergency room or in an intensive care unit in a pediatric hospital.
鈥淚 want to always be on my toes and having to think,鈥� she said of being an ER nurse.
And she said she has a special talent for working with children.
鈥淚 think I would do an excellent job caring for them,鈥� she said.
For now, Fry happily works at Wesley Medical Center in bed placement, in spite of not driving a 2010 Ford Mustang to get there.