Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 47

StuDEnt profile
Stepping Up
Facing the challenges of serious illness led Alyssa Paulsen ’14
to consider possibilities she never would have dreamed.

i

As Miss USA Ambassador, Alyssa Paulsen ’14 was often called
upon to speak as an advocate for various charities and causes.
This event, the Chicago Bears’ Stadium Green for the 2012
Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, was especially personal—her
grandfather lost his life from complications due to diabetes.

n high school Alyssa Paulsen ’14 came to
appreciate days without pain. Once an
active volleyball and softball player, she
found herself sideli ned with fatigue, joint
pain, and severe headaches. After a year
of unexplained symptoms, Alyssa was
diagnosed with Lyme disease, and began
what doctors said would be a three-year
recovery.
Looking to fill the sports void, Alyssa
volunteered to help with community
service projects such as Prison Fellowship’s
Angel Tree, World Vision’s 30-hour
Famine, and Lyme disease awareness events.
Still healing when she arrived at
Wheaton as an applied health science
major, Alyssa taught fitness classes and
tried the cheerleading club. She also
joined the Haiti-Wheaton Partnership,
traveling to Haiti in 2012.
“What we saw there was hell on earth.
I’ve never struggled with depression, but I
couldn’t pick myself up after returning. I
started praying and fasting, asking the Lord
for direction,” she says.
The answer was not what she anticipated.
She felt led to enter the USA Ambassador
Pageant, a charity-driven organization that
places emphasis on community service.
Dr. Peter Walters, professor of applied
health science, encouraged her to get
involved, reminding her, “Every walk of
life can be a mission field.”
Alyssa applied and received word
through the mail that she’d won the
Miss Illinois title based on her application
and phone interview. Several months
later she traveled to Tampa and won the

national competition.
As the 2012 Miss USA Ambassador, she
spent her junior year traveling the country
every third week, speaking in high schools
and at charity events, and helping raise funds
and awareness for illnesses such as breast
cancer, diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, Lou
Gehrig’s disease, and ovarian cancer.
Deeply affected by the stories of survivors,
she was constantly reminded of life’s fragility.
She also developed a passion for mentoring
young girls, encouraging them with a
message about their inherent value and the
fleeting nature of physical beauty.
Now in her senior year, Alyssa enjoys
having a “normal” college routine—but
also hopes to contribute by working with
local charities and continuing to speak
in public schools and give chapel talks at
Christian schools.
Once terrified of public speaking, she
now looks forward to each event. These
opportunities have shifted her focus from
pre-med to communications courses, and
as a result, she’s now considering a career
as a television health reporter.
For his part, mentor Dr. Walters
believes the pageant experience not
only helped Alyssa clarify her goals for
the future, but also helped her develop
courage, as well as boldness for Christ.
Still affected by Lyme disease, Alyssa
has some lingering hip pain but is grateful
that she healed much faster than doctors
predicted.
“I think when you’ve had chronic pain,”
she says, “you become more aware that
every day is a gift and blessing.”
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