A central Iowa woman’s among a handful of finalists in a national competition because of a story she wrote about transforming her life.
Rose Petra of Windsor Heights entered the “Transformation Nation” essay contest sponsored by a department store. She read a notice about the store’s contest on her receipt after she’d been shopping there, and Petra decided she has a story and wanted to write about.
“When I was 19 years old, I lost my leg to cancer and I have a really positive outlook and I decided that I’m going to continue life and look at it as a challenge and an opportunity,” Petra says. That enthusiasm won her the approval of judges for the contest. Petra says she thinks she can set a good example, because she’s not a person who just sits around and mopes. “I’ve gotten on with my life, I’ve done a feature-length film, I’ve sung all over the United States, I’ve gone scuba-diving with Jean-Michel Cousteau and I just love life!” she says. “I am so happy to be alive!”
She’s a semifinalist in the Kohl’s “Transformation Nation” contest. She’s the only Iowan to make it that far in this competition, and she’s headed to L.A. to get a beauty makeover. She’ll be in a celebrity fashion show on the Santa Monica pier. The voting begins today (Wednesday) on the Internet, and runs only through October 10th.
Related web sites:
Transformation Nation website