Today’s Steaks Alumni Profile is on Sarah (Main) Bloomstrand from the GHS Class of 2011.
When I went thru the 2011 Reflector to find a couple pictures of Sarah, I was overwhelmed with how many sports and activities that she was involved in. By my count, there were close to 20 different spots in the yearbook where Sarah was involved. In most cases, Sarah wasn’t just involved, she was a leader.
Sarah has a combination of passion, energy, commitment, and a huge work ethic. Her strongest trait is her ability to build relationships with others.
I must admit that I failed as a teacher and a coach with Sarah. No matter how much I tried to help her understand that she needed to switch from the Illini and become a Badger fan, she was just too stubborn to do it. I thought after four years at the University of Illinois when the Illini never beat the Badgers once in either men’s basketball or football, she would convert.
As you will see in her pictures, she is raising another generation of proud Illini fans! When they wrote “We’re Loyal to You Illinois,” they had Sarah and her family in mind!
GHS Sports & Activities
Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that Galesburg High School provided me. During my time there I was the manager of the girls’ basketball team, a member of Student Council, National Honors Society, I played volleyball, soccer, ran cross-country and volunteered with the Knox County Teen Court.
Favorite teachers/classes
I loved my time at GHS and a big part of that has to do with the teachers and staff that made GHS home. I loved the math courses with Mrs. Eisemann and Mrs.Knicker and science with Mr. Peachey and Mr. Johnson. Mrs. Qualls, I still love you and think you’re very special. Coach Chapman and Coach Clay made PE something I looked forward to, and Mr. Schaafsma and Mrs. Wiley-Parkin were student council advisors who made being involved even more meaningful. Lastly, I genuinely enjoyed my time working with Coach Massey as the manager and reminding him who the best team was in the BigTen.
Some of Best Memories from Galesburg & GHS
Galesburg is still one of my favorite places– not just because my family lives there but because so many of my favorite memories are tied to it. I loved spending time with my parents at the farm, going for boat rides at Oak Run, walking with friends at Lake Storey, eating in the courtyard at the Landmark, walking into a home basketball game at a packed Thiel Gym and getting triple cheeseburgers or dairy queen after.
Education after GHS
After GHS I attended the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign where I graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Health. Following my time at the U of I, I attended Bradley University where I received by BSN in nursing.
Career
I began my nursing career in the Emergency Department at Carle Hospital in Urbana, where I fell in love with the fast paced environment of emergency medicine. This past year, my husband and I had the opportunity to open our own urgent care clinic in Champaign where I now serve as the Operations Manager.
Life Today
I met my husband, Kurt, while attending the University of Illinois, and we’ve now been married for 10 years. We have four kids who keep life busy, loud, and full of joy. We live in Champaign, IL, another community that we have loved so much. Our family loves spending time back in Galesburg, and it means a lot to me to share with my kids the same places and traditions I enjoyed growing up there.
Advice to Students/Athlests
My advice to any current GHS students would be to embrace the strong sense of community that comes from being from Galesburg. Being able to grow up in a place like Galesburg has been one of my greatest strengths. It’s a community where you see firsthand the value of hard work, dedication, and caring for your neighbors.Those lessons stay with you long after high school and shape the way you approach school, athletics, work, and life. Be proud of where you come from, and carry those values with you wherever you go.
Other Articles in the Blog about Sarah…
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