Two University of Iowa parents were the center of attention Oct. 28 during the Family Weekend game-day breakfast and at halftime of the Hawkeye football game, when they were honored as the UI’s Mom and Dad of the Year.
Amy Haskins, 2017 Mom of the Year // Photo by Justin Torner
The 2017 Mom of the Year is Amy Haskins, of Mason City, Iowa, nominated by her daughter, Sarah, a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in human relations. Sarah says her mother, a nurse who returned to school and completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Iowa in 2014, was the recipient of the Spirit of Compassion Award at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa. She also started a scholarship fund in memory of her late husband: the Randy A. Haskins Scholarship Program, designed to encourage individuals to pursue degrees and careers in the health care information and management systems industry.
“The four years that my father was battling cancer was an uphill battle, but my mom never complained about the difficulties our family was facing. She raised us to know the value of our hard work and to, above all else, love the people we shared our lives with,” she writes. “I used to roll my eyes when people told me I was just like my mom, but now I realize what a compliment that was. My mom is an incredible woman and mother, and her strength and commitment to her family have made me hope that I grow up to be everything like her.”
Mitchell Yelenosky Sr., 2017 Dad of the Year // Photo by Justin Torner
The 2017 Dad of the Year is Mitchell Yelenosky Sr., of Bolingbrook, Illinois, nominated by his daughter, Jacqueline, a junior studying journalism and mass communication. Jacqueline says her father, the president and owner of American Inrepco Emergency Service and Repair Construction Company, started in the construction industry as a teenager and worked his way up. He has spent 20 years volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House charity, including cooking food at the organization’s annual clay shoot charity event.
"My father is one of the most incredible men I know. He has always been loyal, loving, kind, understanding, and forgiving. No matter what any of my siblings or I have faced, he has remained positive and supportive of us, telling us every day how proud of us he is,” she writes. “When my younger sister became suddenly and critically ill from a random virus, my father remained positive and did whatever it took to keep our family together and to remain hopeful. … My sister just returned to school this year—fifth grade—and the doctors all say it is a miracle. I have no doubt that my dad (and mom) helped make this miracle possible.”
Mom and Dad of the Year are sponsored by the UI Parents Fund for Student Support, with support from the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Iowa Hawk Shop/University Bookstore. Honorees are chosen by two student honor societies, Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa, based on personal achievements and dedication to family. Any student can nominate a parent for an award.