Kelsey Durham is a senior who double majors in Journalism/Public Relations and Spanish. She currently calls Pittsburgh home and will graduate in May of 2017.
- Why did you spend some time living in France and how was studying abroad in Spain?
I moved to France when I was nine years old. My parents went on their honeymoon to Paris and vowed to return when they had enough money. 11 years and three kids later, my mom proposed we leave our life in Portland, Oregon, to live in Vedène, France. It sounded crazy to our friends and family. My parents weren’t in the military and they couldn’t even speak the language. They just had a love for travel, new adventures and each other. So we moved! We lived there for four years and it was the greatest experience of my life.
I studied abroad in Spain during my Spring semester in 2015. I loved being in Europe again, only this time, speaking Spanish instead of French. I made so many friends, both American and international. I ate delicious food, returned to France to see long-lost friends and truly discovered myself. I have never been that far away from home before and to live in a foreign country for five months without my family was quite a challenge for me. Luckily, my roommate became like a sister to me and my other friends became my family. We saw the most beautiful sites in Spain and it sparked this hunger inside of me of continuing to travel and explore the world.
- What are your campus activities and what is your favorite?
I know you can’t really count this as an activity, but I love my job as a Writing Center tutor. I have been a tutor for two years and I absolutely love it! I enjoying helping other students work on their papers and strengthen their writing skills. I wasn’t always the best writer, but now that I have a few grammatical tips up my sleeve, I love sharing my knowledge with other students and seeing them return a few days later with the good news that they got a good grade on their paper.
- What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I either love surrounding myself with good people that want to laugh and eat, or I love knitting, watching hours of Netflix (so unhealthy), cooking to jazz music, and listening to podcasts.
- Fun fact?
A fun fact about me is that I loveeee the musical Hamilton. When the musical was in it’s prime, I listened to every song on repeat. I know practically every song by heart and someday (when I’m not a broke college student), I plan to see the musical live on Broadway and cry tears of joy the entire time.
- What are your plans after college?
I plan to go to grad school for public health. I have applied to epidemiology and global health masters and Ph.D. programs.
- What is your dream job?
I am honestly not exactly sure. But I know that I want to travel the world and do research on global health and nutrition to help bridge different nations together. If we have more knowledge about the food we will encounter when we travel internationally or study abroad, then I believe individuals will have fewer chances of getting sick or developing a chronic illness. When I am in grad school, I would like to further this research idea and explore ways to help travelers and study abroad students to maintain their health while in a foreign country, specifically with their diet and physical activity.
- Is there anything else you want the IUP community to know about you?
I am a volunteer leader for a Christian organization called Young Life College. I have been a part of Young Life since my sophomore year and last fall in 2016, I became a leader. I love having meaningful conversations with students about God, being able to share my testimony with them and form true friendships with students. A lot of Christians come to IUP with a desire to form good and healthy relationships, but they don’t feel as if they fit in anywhere. When I meet those students, I love pouring into them and letting them know that Young Life is a great place to find those healthy friendships, with lots of laugher and space to ask those hard life questions. Joining the Young Life team has been truly transformative in my life and I can’t wait to continue being apart of this great mission!
- Who is your favorite artist?
Ahh I don’t actually have an answer for this one. But my favorite album would be the Hamilton musical album.
- What is your funniest college story?
Before studying abroad, you have to be interviewed by the director of all of the study abroad programs. Nothing too difficult, he basically just asks you questions like “Why do you want to study abroad?” “What’s your favorite song?” I’m not sure why students have to go through this interview process, but it’s mandatory. So for my interview, I wore a black skirt and a button-up shirt with flowers on it. I was lookin’ fly. I walked into the interview and we instantly started talking, laughing and answering the questions the interviewer had on his paper. At some point in the interview, I dropped the cap of the pen I was playing with to ease my nerves under the table. As I looked down to pick up the cap, I realized that three of the buttons to my shirt had fallen off. I was sitting in this room, with this man, with my shirt completely wide open and my bra revealed for the world to see. I was horrified! As I bent down to pick up the cap, I grabbed my shirt so I would close as much as it could. To my utmost confusion, the interviewer didn’t even blink twice. He acted as if it was normal for the girls he was interviewing to have their shirts burst wide open in front of him.
I received an email after the interview that I got accepted to my study abroad program. Maybe it’s because my interviewer thought I planned my wardrobe malfunction because I “really needed this,” or maybe it’s because he felt bad for me. Nonetheless, I’m sure my interview was the highlight of his dinner conversation that night.
- What advice do you have for IUP students?
My advice for incoming freshmen would be to find friends that make you into a better person. You know you. You know your past, you know who you are and you know who you want to be. Find friends that can help mold you into that desired person! Don’t settle for the bimbos, the friends that lie behind your back, steal your stuff, and keep you down. Look for the go-getters, those that are joining academic clubs and adding things to their resume. Better yet, just find friends that HAVE a resume. Never settle for less, love yourself and become the person you’ve always wanted to be.
If you see Kelsey on campus, be sure to say hi and wish her luck on her future endeavors!