MSUM Grad Doesn’t Let Injury Stop Her From Graduating
by Krista Boehm
May 16, 2014
After four, five or more years filled with sleepless nights and endless papers, thousands of Dragons can finally relax.
All that hard work has paid off.
It’s graduation day at MSUM!
With caps, gowns and smiles, these students are more than ready for one big milestone in their lives.
But for Linnea Fitterer, it’s a milestone she nearly didn’t make.
“I really don’t believe that this is happening,” Fitterer said.
Waiting to grab her diploma, Fitterer remembers when she almost called it quits after attending a softball game that changed her way of learning.
“I’m just tall enough to be above the fence so it was a foul ball that went right to my head.”
Fitterer became completely deaf in her left ear and suffered a brain injury after the softball caused her to bleed behind her eyes, making college nearly impossible.
“I wanted to quit and just give up and stop going to school all together,” Fitterer said.
But instead the art major joins nearly one thousand Dragons, ready to pick up their degrees after teaching herself how to learn all over again.
“It was frustrating. I knew what I was capable of before my accident but not being able to do it during recovery time was frustrating,” Fitterer said.
But with frustration behind her she’s proven she’s ready for the future.
“I want to work in a museum or gallery specifically with a collection of art work,” Fitterer said.
A future that’s beginning for each of these students as they grab their diplomas.
During the ceremonies, students trended nationally when they took to social media using hashtag MSUM 2014 on Twitter.