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Sadie Burkow grew up in the southern 星空无限传媒 towns of Kiester and Bricelyn. As a first?generation college student from a hardworking, lower?middle?class family, she wasn’t sure what her path would look like—or how she’d afford it. “We grew up living paycheck to paycheck. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school, but I knew I wanted something different.”

During high school, Sadie had the chance to take PSEO classes which helped her try college. Riverland became her starting point simply because it was close, affordable, and flexible. What she didn’t expect was how life?changing her Riverland experience would be.

At Riverland, people made the difference.

Sadie wasn’t sure how she would afford college, but Financial Aid Advisor Linda Wasmoen helped her make a plan. First, Sadie decided she could finish her general education requirements in 1 year—if she took 18 credits a semester. With a course load like that, Sadie had to focus full-time on school. Linda helped Sadie develop a budget so that she could do it: gas, food, rent, even how many times she could eat out a month. Sadie shares, “Linda taught me how to budget for school and life—that practical guidance made college possible. If I could, I would make sure every student had that experience.”

Small classes made all the difference.

Riverland’s small class sizes meant faculty also got to know her by name. Instructors like Catherine Haslag recognized Sadie’s talent for chemistry long before she did and pushed her to consider opportunities she’d never imagined. “They actually saw me,” Sadie says. “That changed everything.”

Riverland was where she discovered her future.

Taking a heavy course load to save money, Sadie quickly realized she loved math and chemistry. That early encouragement eventually led her to the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, then to graduate school at Iowa State, where she earned her PhD in Analytical Chemistry—a path she never would have believed possible when she first walked onto campus.

Now she’s paying it forward.

After a four-year stint in industry, Sadie returned to Riverland as a chemistry instructor in 2026. She teaches in the same classrooms where she once sat, reminding students that not knowing your path is normal.

“Riverland helped me see a future I couldn’t see for myself,” Sadie says. “Now I get to do that for my students.”