Name: Anna Kellner
Major: Maritime Studies
Minor: Communications and Anthropology
Classification: Senior
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
To the average UWF student, Anna Kellner seems just like anyone else. But her story reveals a young woman full of gumption, ambition, and honesty. After surviving childhood cancer, Anna Kellner earned a scholarship with Cancer for College. The nonprofit organization grants college funding to students who had to take on financial burdens through cancer treatments. It’s this organization that allows her to pursue her education.
“When you think of pediatric cancer, you think of things like the the emotional devastation it causes for families,” Anna said. “But you tend to forget the financial devastation that cancer can cause.”
Anna recently organized an awareness and fundraising campaign in January for Cancer for College. The event was called Hike for Hope, inspired by one Cancer for College donor who asked for donations in exchange for climbing Mt. Everest. The nonprofit responded by having supporters across the country do similar hikes in local areas. Anna felt it was the perfect opportunity to get her fellow students involved. Through Her Campus UWF, she hosted the only Hike for Hope in Northwest Florida. Students from Sigma Alpha Mu and the Student Nurses Association joined Her Campus and hiked through the Edward Ball Nature Trail on campus. Anna’s efforts with Hike for Hope helped raise over $800 for the organization.
Within Her Campus UWF, Anna serves as the Social Media Director to facilitate their social media presence, communicate with students, and relay relatable information to all Argos. She runs the Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, ensuring that each page is held to a high standard. She originally learned about Her Campus when she was a freshman at the University of North Carolina Wilmington by following the posts and articles of the Her Campus chapter there. Once she transferred to UWF, she heard that Her Campus was here and decided to join.
Now, Anna is a graduating senior who is allowing her free spirit to guide the way to her future. With her positive attitude she plans to pursue a career with oceanic jobs. After spring, you just might find her guiding whale tours in Alaska!
Her one piece of advice to freshman at UWF can be summarized in her favorite quote that her mother used to say growing up, “The best revenge on someone is to be happy.”