Grinnell College CNAs Return to Mayflower as Athletes

During the last week of Winter Break at Grinnell College, two student-athletes joined their teammates for special dinners in The Mayflower Community. For these two women, this was not their first time at Mayflower. They were part of the June 2019 Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training class composed of College underclassmen planning to pursue medical careers.

When they completed intensive classroom and clinic (on the floor) training, Gretchen Schreiner and Kate Tomczik, passed their tests to become CNAs last July.

After working some during the summer, both women returned to Grinnell College for fall classes and joined their sports teammates, Gretchen as a swimmer and diver and Kate as a basketball player.

Gretchen, a Grand Forks ND native, is a senior majoring in biology and sociology with a pre-health and neuroscience concentration. After graduation in May, Gretchen is planning on attending medical school or pursuing her PhD. In her College swimming career, she has been named an Academic All-American in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

During this past summer, Gretchen completed a sociology study among Mayflower residents, “How We Create Meaning Around Life and Death in a Senior Living Community.” She was recently named a Grinnell College Biochem Science Community Leader in a program focused on student engagement and inclusion.

Kate, a St. Cloud MN native, is a 2nd-year who intends to declare biology and studio art as a double major. Playing basketball in her 1st year year, Kate was named a 2019 Academic All-Conference player. In high school, she was a team captain in both basketball and cross country as well as executive president of the student body and an officer in the National Honor Society.

After graduation in May of 2022, Kate would like to go on to medical school.

We are planning to see more of Gretchen and Kate at Mayflower this semester…in their CNA “scrubs.”

— Bob Mann, Sales & Marketing Director