Stephanie Kobes

Two of Stephanie Kobes' dreams will soon be coming true. But if you want to see dream number three, you have to tune into "Three Wishes" Friday night.

Kobes, a 2001 Granville Spalding Catholic High School and 2005 Iowa State University graduate, always wanted to become a dancer. Her goal was to, someday, dance on a New York stage.

All of Kobes' hard work and dedication will be rewarded in December when she'll be featured in a dancer's showcase being choreographed by award-winning choreographer Sasha Stewart.

"Sure, it'll only be for a couple of days," Kobes says via telephone from New York. "But I can now honestly tell people, 'Yes, I'll be dancing on a New York stage.' Not only that, since I'm getting paid, I'll also be able to say 'Yes, I am a professional New York dancer who's making money dancing on a New York stage'."

But this past summer, Kobes had a very different kind of audition. Not for a dance company or for a choreographer.

This audition was for a new reality show.

Kobes says she had never heard of "Three Wishes" before when friends of her late mother, Darlene Kobes, told her she'd be perfect for it.

"I was only in town for a few days when my mom's friends, Kathy McCrary, Mary Peshek, Lisa Bogh, and Esther Shrader, mentioned there was this new show, starring Amy Grant, that was auditioning Le Mars people with interesting stories to tell," Kobes recalls.

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"At the time, my mind was so focused on moving to New York, I didn't give 'Three Wishes' a whole lot of thought," Kobes admits. "Maybe that's why this audition went so smoothly. There wasn't that much pressure."

Representatives of the NBC series quickly informed Kobes that she was one of the people they'd like to showcase in the episode that taped in Le Mars in July.

"The first thing I thought was 'Wow!'" Kobes laughs. "Then I saw the waiver I had to sign before appearing on the show. Well, that was another 'Wow!'"

Kobes says she was asked to sign a 35-page document, one that stipulates she could not reveal her wish until the show airs.

"Apparently NBC uses the same standard contract for all of it's reality shows," she jokes. "If you didn't read the fine print, you may not know if you're going to be appearing on "Fear Factor," "The Biggest Loser," or "Three Wishes."

Regardless of the restrictions, Kobes says "Three Wishes" was a wonderful experience for her. Although she didn't get a chance to meet Amy Grant, she was greatly impressed by Grant's co-host, "Trading Spaces" hunky handyman Carter Oosterhouse.

"I know 'Trading Spaces' was popular at ISU so I sort of knew who Carter was but I had no idea how awesome and cool and down-to-earth he turned out to be," she says. "In fact, everybody connected with the show was pretty awesome."

Kobes hopes Le Mars will be pleased with how it is represented on "Three Wishes."

"I've moved away from Le Mars but Le Mars will always be my hometown," she says.

Through "Three Wishes," Kobes hopes to bring special attention to the importance of self-esteem among girls, especially teenaged girls.

Kobes lost her mom to a brain aneurism when she was only 16 years old. Her dad died very suddenly just 40 days later. Events such as these shapes a person's life. It devastates you, but it can make you a stronger person.

Through her work as a volunteer for the non-profit organization Project Hope, Kobes helps teenage girls going through similar life-altering experiences.

"If I can inspire just one girl with self-esteem issues to not be afraid to dream big,

then 'Three Wishes' was all worthwhile," she says.

Kobes hopes to use her degree in journalism and sociology either to do public relations for a major dance company or perhaps become a dance critic for the New York Times.

But for now, it's more auditioning, more networking, and holding down a full-time job at a dancewear company.

Kobes explains: "My faculty advisor at ISU always warned me: 'Stef, slow down. You don't have to become valedictorian for the world.'"

"But I don't have many complaints. I have good friends, I have people that I love. I'm blessed," she says.

("Three Wishes" will air 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14 on KTIV, Channel 4.)