By Alysia Adams, Class of 2016, and Camille Sears, Class of 2017
Karlee Tanel came upon EKU with the help of her mom. Being from Wisconsin, she did not think EKU was an obvious option until her mom, an EKU graduate, offered to take her on a trip to visit some schools in the South.
When they came to EKU on Spotlight Day, Karlee fell in love with the campus. Everyone on campus was very welcoming and that made it feel like home.
“I love Eastern’s opportunity; there is so much to get involved with,” Karlee said.
Karlee took advantage of the all opportunities offered and got involved on campus right away. She is in the Honors Program, a Patterson Scholar in the business department and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. She served as an orientation leader for one year and a Colonel Camp leader for two years, as well as working at the EKU Center for the Arts.
She is the vice president of student activities in Student Government Association and was recently awarded homecoming queen.
“I live and breathe Eastern,” Karlee said. “I love what Eastern stands for; I love the Eastern pride and EKU maroon.”
She also likes that the campus is small, so she knows a large number of people but can still get to meet new people every week. Being a part of a small campus has allowed her to build relationships, through her leadership roles, with President Benson, vice presidents and other director positions – all opportunities that may not have happened if she attended a bigger university.
Karlee is a management major with a concentration in human resources, and she hopes to work in the training and development aspects of HR. Her dream is to live in Minneapolis and have a job that allows her to travel and see new things. After getting experience in the HR field, she would like to become a professor and later be the president of a university.
But for now, she will continue to stay involved, study and look for co-op opportunities in fall 2016. Additionally, she hopes to study abroad one day.