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For Immediate Release

Written by: Louise Teague, 260-481-6495

Media contact: Deb Conklin, 260-481-6118

Wife of Injured Marine Named IPFW Student of the Year

(Fort Wayne, March 22, 2007) -- Sarah Hadsall, a student at Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne, has been named the Indiana Council for Continuing Education (ICCE) Student of the Year for 2006-07. She is a native of New Haven, Ind., and currently lives in Crystal Beach, Fla.

Hadsall, a senior at IPFW, was nominated for the award by Deb Conklin, executive director of the IPFW Division of Continuing Studies. "Sarah has been a model for distance learning," Conklin says.

Hadsall earned a GPA of 3.52/4.0 while moving 15 times with her husband, who is a U.S. Marine. When her husband was critically injured in Iraq, Hadsall applied skills learned in an online journalism course to create a blog for injured soldiers to help them access services. Hadsall shares her story with other distance learning students as a blogger for the university.

"Her story is inspirational and her goal of earning a bachelor's degree is soon to be a reality, says Conklin," "a testament to overcoming barriers and maximizing resources to reach your dreams."

Sarah Hadsall is a graduate of New Haven High School. Her parents, Tom and Paula Staak of New Haven, Ind., currently live at Lake Wawasee.

For downloadable photo of the ICCE Award and Sarah Hadsall, visit the People section on the IPFW Media Resources Web page.

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