Jennifer Tidd remembers a day in 2012 when she brought home ice cream for her mom. She was in fifth grade and her mother, Julie, was receiving hospice care at home. About a month later, Julie would pass away, her body ravaged by what started as breast cancer.
But on that spring day, Jennifer watched her mother smile as she fed her ice cream. It was such a small gesture, and she was just a child. That moment would stick with her and define the person she wants to become.
I could help her, even if I didnt know what I was doing, Jennifer said. I just want to live a life of helping people.
Now, Jennifer is nearly ready to graduate from Iola High School, one of six valedictorians. She plans to attend Baker University to study exercise science with a goal to eventually become a physical therapist.
Her success ties directly to her family, from her parents to her siblings.
Julie taught music before she married David Tidd and started a family. Their six children four boys followed by two girls learned from an early age to appreciate the value of hard work and education.
My mom, she was just as smart as all of us kids, Jennifer recalled. We always saw her as a teacher. She would help us with homework and with assignments. She understood everything we were doing. We would always think of her as we were making plans later in life.
David Tidd is now married to Laura, a retired accountant, and works as a carrier for the United States Post Office. He also set high expectations for his children, Jennifer said.
My dad taught us to work hard, finish all our homework and do the best we can, she said. Jennifer watched her older brothers achieve high honors throughout their years of schooling. They set the example: How to work hard, how to study, how to balance schoolwork with responsibilities, how to earn scholarships. The four boys all graduated high school as valedictorian or salutatorian.
Josh, the oldest, now works with International Student Ministries in Lincoln, Neb.
Joel is stationed in Japan with the U.S. Navy.
Jason writes for The Wichita Eagle.
Jonathan works at a nursery, doing lawn care.
Jessica is the youngest.
When Jennifer was in fourth grade, she was pulled out of classes to work on a speech impediment. That meant she often missed math class. Her brothers whichever one was home at the time she needed help took turns teaching her math and helping with homework.
It made me push myself to keep my grades up. I wanted to take harder classes because I wanted to learn, Jennifer said. It hasnt been easy but I started working hard younger, so later on maybe I didnt have to work as hard as some other people would to keep their grades up.
Her family offered lots of love and support, but the siblings also fostered a bit of healthy competition. As the next-to-youngest, Jennifer knew she had to find a way to stand out. Earning a perfect 4.0 grade point average wasnt enough. She also wanted to earn a better ACT score which, she boasted, she did.
I had to be just as good as them. Better, she said. Its been this whole long joke since I was in third grade, Youre going to be smarter than all of us.
HER MOTHERS illness introduced Jennifer to the world of healthcare. Jennifer was in third grade when Julie was diagnosed. Much of Julies time was spent visiting various medical specialists in Kansas City. Later, doctors, nurses, physical therapists and hospice workers would visit their house.
You get this whole different view, so many different sorts of healthcare workers, Jennifer said.
