Indiana Wesleyan University psychology student Sam Rzany spent four months interning for Indiana Donor Network, an organ procurement agency in Indianapolis, where she uncovered a passion for raising awareness about organ donation.
As a community relations intern, Rzany’s responsibilities included outreach events and educating the public on organ donation. She helped plan events such as the company’s 5k races as well as their gala fundraising event. Additionally, she worked in IDN’s aftercare department, where she was involved in donor family events and caring for families of donors.
“The part that really holds a special place in my heart is my relationships with our donor families,” said Rzany, who is from Crystal Lake, Illinois. “They are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met and I’ve had the privilege of continuing those relationships even outside of my internship. They’re the reason why I came to love this job so deeply.”
After returning from her internship at Indiana Donor Network, Rzany knew she had to further her involvement in raising awareness for organ donation. She is now involved on the national leadership team for Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA) as the student outreach coordinator. SODA is a non-profit that inspires and supports student-led organ donation education and registration efforts through campus chapters. A SODA chapter has been officially added at IWU due to the efforts of Rzany and six fellow students: Baylee Overmyer ’20, Emily Murphy ’19, Michaela Towles ’19, Rebecca Stahler ’19, Sarah Ambli ’19 and Sarah Williamson ’21.
Rzany is a senior psychology major who will be graduating at the end of the month. She says her time in the Division of Behavioral Sciences has given her a solid foundation for understanding the humanity of people.
“People just want to feel loved and seen and heard,” said Rzany. “More than anything I learned from a textbook, the profs in the psychology department really instilled that passion within me to love people and hear their stories.”
After graduating, Rzany will continue holding her leadership position at SODA and hopes to further her work at an organ procurement organization in Illinois.
“This is a career field I can see myself working in for the rest of my life,” said Rzany. “My passion is just getting started.”
For more information on IWU’s psychology program, click here.