As the lights shined down on Valley stadium, two lines of players are on display. One line is the Dowling Catholic Maroons, and the other is West Des Moines Valley. The Maroons have the ball, and they know what was at stake. This match isn’t just a game; this is the battle for the westside. As the ball is hiked, it’s given to Re’shawd Davis, and he makes a running dash for it. Along the way, he has his blockers protecting him as he sees the endzone. He scores the touchdown and celebrates with his teammates. Then, he makes his way to do a celebratory dance with one of the blockers before special teams come on. Now, you might be wondering, who is this player he danced with? Well, that is the feature for today’s “Student Spotlight:” Jacob Petersen! Rush with me as we tackle how he stays motivated and successful.

Petersen was born on February 8th, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa, to his loving parents Kelly and Adam Petersen. He has two younger sisters Haley and Hannah. Haley is a freshman here at Dowling, and Hannah is a 5th grader at Sacred Heart.

Petersen attended Sacred Heart from Pre-K to 8th grade and really enjoyed his time there. He met all his best friends, got into sports, and developed academic skills and habits he currently uses here at Dowling.

He plans on going to the University of Iowa and wants to major in Civil Engineering and minor in Finance. His motivation behind majoring in Civil Engineering came when he got an internship as an engineering technician the past two summers. He also wants to minor in Finance because he wants to help his parents with their finances when they get older. Petersen also plans to do intramural sports at Iowa and wants to study abroad in Europe.

Petersen has had a phenomenal experience here at Dowling. The connections he has made are awesome and he has excelled both academically and athletically.

Throughout his time at Dowling, he has become more outgoing and social compared to his freshman self. During his freshman year, he was distanced and more introverted but now has learned to come out of his comfort zone. Some teachers that have impacted Petersen are Mr. Smith, Mrs. Theirer, and Mr. Lensing. Mr. Smith has had an impact on Petersen from the beginning of his steps here at Dowling. He is Petersen’s homeroom teacher and has seen him grow the most. He sought out conversations with Petersen about anything and just made him more comfortable. “He always reached out to talk to me.” Another impactful teacher is Mrs. Theirer who has been friendly to Petersen and taught him how to be a better person. The kindness she showed Petersen has made him more outgoing and conscious of the world around him. Lastly, Mr. Lensing has had an impact on Petersen because of the passion in his teaching and his constant fun conversations with his students. 

Some activities that Petersen is involved in are basketball, football, NHS, and Special Olympics. A huge influence from basketball and football is that it made him tougher as a person after going through ups and downs in the sports aspect of high school. He loved his football season because he got to play in the Dome and cherished that the team got to end there. Special Olympics and service projects in NHS impacted Petersen on a different level than sports. They both taught Petersen how to see the outside world and appreciate everyone’s differences. It also influenced him to become more caring. “I’m happy that I get to change the world, one small step at a time.” 

Now, the most important part of any “Student Spotlight.”Here are Petersen’s fun facts!

• He hates snow and cold weather
• He has never broken or fractured a bone
• His favorite movie is Grown-ups
• His favorite artist is Frank Ocean, and his favorite song is Nights
• His dream vacation is Turks and Caicos
• He loves to build Legos
• His favorite food is chicken alfredo
• His favorite fast food restaurant is Pancheros
• His favorite NBA team is Milwaukee Bucks
• He’d rather watch games at Iowa State than Iowa because he likes the atmosphere more

  

Petersen has earned the Service Cord through counseling at CYC, referring volleyball for his sister’s parochial team, Meals of the Heartland, Christmas Baskets, and football and basketball camps. He has learned how fortunate he is compared to other people, but he’s also learned to be a leader for the younger generation. He states that kids come up to him and recognize him from either being a coach or referee at a sporting event. He enjoys the interactions and loves the fact that young kids recognize him and say hi to him. When he counseled at CYC, he was there the week before Lucas Paoli counseled (you should go check out my article). He didn’t know anyone he was counseling with, so he was left in a huge pickle. While this was his first time without his family, he knew he had to step up to the plate and left with fun memories. He felt the benefit right away from volunteering with the campers, and recently, one of his campers came up to him during the basketball game against Valley. During and after the week of camp, he got to know both counselors and campers a lot more and loved his time spent at CYC.

Faith has been a huge part of Petersen’s life, and he certainly felt that growing up. His mom is a Catholic and a Dowling grad while his dad is a Lutheran who is an Urbandale grad. Initially, his dad didn’t want him to go to a private school, but his mom convinced him. Petersen’s mom wanted him to be Catholic, and ever since then, they have gone to mass and gotten all of the sacraments at Sacred Heart. Faith has become a strong part of his life both in school and sports. Before games, especially at the Dome, he would be anxious but knew he could turn to God whenever he was flustered. 

“There’s always good in the bad.”

That is a piece of advice Petersen offers to you readers. His reasoning behind this saying is that at a young age, he looked at everything positive, but now, that has changed. He believes that if the world sees everything in a positive way, it can change lives. 

Now, a true “Student Spotlight” is never complete without the power of friendship. One of his childhood best friends, Will Kelly, has been a huge influence on Petersen. They have gone on trips together, and their families have known each other for a long time. Some other impactful people are Lucas Paoli and Parker Dephillips. Petersen states that when he goes to Iowa, he is going to room with all three of them. Another group that influenced Petersen is this year’s basketball team. He states that last year’s basketball team had a lot of ego, but this year is different. He has bonded really well with the team and learned to trust them through difficult times.

An obstacle that Petersen has faced is when he got diagnosed with mono during his sophomore year. He fell behind on his work and didn’t understand what was going on in school. Even though he was struggling to be the tough and mentally resilient person he is, he pushed through it. With the support of his friends and family, he got through and is now balling out on the basketball team.

My personal experience with Petersen is that he is resilient and a true gentleman at heart. As the basketball team manager, I’ve seen his passion and hard work day in and day out. I’ve gotten to know him a whole lot more than I did freshman year and found myself to befriend a nice young man. I love seeing him talk with the team during game days, organizing what celebration to do next after a three pointer, or seeing him excel in the classroom when giving a presentation in Advanced U.S History with Mr. Patten. I didn’t know him freshman year, but now, I am truly blessed to have known the calm, well-mannered gentleman that Petersen is. 

“Be outgoing.” That was his concluding message to me and the readers. He believes people have the power to make others feel welcomed and accepted. He sees freshmen who aren’t comfortable with each other but wants that to change. Simply saying hi to each other or smiling can spark that friendship. Petersen also states that being nice to your teachers goes a long way down the road. “You never know who will be your best friend; they could be your wall to lean on. It all starts with a simple conversation.” 

If you are ever blessed to have the opportunity to talk with Petersen, take it. He might seem scary on the outside, but believe me, he is the most well-mannered person I’ve gotten to interact with. Also, watch out for him as he goes all out on the basketball court his senior year. Thank you for reading this “Student Spotlight.”