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Written by: Jessica Kircher, Social Media Communications student at KU Lakeland

Tanzania, Africa is a place where many people are in need of medical care and lots of miscellaneous supplies. I recently made the decision to join Friends Together (a charity organization) and tomorrow we are traveling with over 2000 lbs of medical and school supplies to a place where little precious lives are too familiar with death and depression. Today, as I prepare to fly 6000 miles away to Africa, I am reminiscent of the journey I took to lead me here. Leaving high school, I was determined to find my place in the world but it was just a year later that I realized I lacked a sense of direction and purpose. It seems most students go through that stagnant time in their life when all surrounding activities cease relevance and they begin to question, “Why am I here?” Unfortunately for me, it took me a while to truly find my purpose in the world. Once a student hits college, times become tough and it either makes a student or it breaks them.

Choosing to attend Keiser University gave me the education and direction that I was looking for. I was able to go to college and set the stage for the rest of my life. The job placement and internship opportunities that come along with the KU package helped build a solid foundation for my career. I had two exceptional internships through KU, which were with two successful design firms in downtown Lakeland. I have recently landed a production artist position for Coca-Cola Refreshments’ corporate office in Brandon. Going from feeling lost to found, KU means more to me than words can really define. I recently spoke at KU-Lakeland’s new design club, Central Florida Creatives, and presented my interview tips and my “How To’s” for sculpting one’s design career. To go from living day by day with no path to guide me, to now be teaching at our very own creative club, working at a fortune 500 company, and traveling across the world to save lives, KU lit a spark in me to make all of these goals and ambitions come to light.

STUDENTS: Please email your submissions/questions/comments to the ELSE Student Editor, Kayla Bianchi at: [email protected]