Kelly Van Buskirk
Communication & Media Studies
My name is Kelly Van Buskirk, and I am currently a senior at St. Norbert College. When I’m not at SNC, I am back home, on the south side of Chicago. My friends would be upset if I didn’t specify that I grew up in Evergreen Park (10 minutes outside of Chicago) but then moved to actual Chicago in high school. Before SNC, I went to Marist high school, which is also on the south side. My four years at Marist were truly some of the best. I am here today, because of Marist, and am forever indebted to them. The staff at Marist were best to none. Without my guidance and college counselors, Erik Christensen, and Kim Myers, I couldn’t do this today. Mr. Christensen has had a huge impact on my life and continues to as I get older. He always gave me the push that I needed and never gave up on me, which is what I needed in high school. Growing up, I have always loved the city, and the fast-paced environment. When I came up to De Pere, It was a huge culture shock. Everyone took their time? You could actually walk across the street, and not get beeped at. For how different it was, I loved it here. It’s a breath of fresh air coming from Chicago. Although, I will be a Chicago Bears fan till the end. You couldn’t conform me there. I am also the youngest of three girls. If you know me or any of my sisters, you probably feel some empathy towards my parents. With that being said, my parents raised 3 of the most outgoing, independent, and strong women. Now imagine all of those personalities mixed together, in one house. You can see why some might feel empathy. Being the youngest, you naturally look up to your siblings. My oldest sister Katelyn, came to St. Norbert when I was in 7th grade. Then my sister Kara also came to SNC, my sophomore year of college. So guess what I did? Came to St. Norbert, Shocker! Since I was 12 years old, I have been on this beautiful campus and never left. I will never forget when I was young feeling envious that my sisters were at college, and I wasn’t. I couldn’t wait to get here. Somehow, somewhere, I am no longer the little sister visiting, and I’m the one graduating. During my time here, I worked a lot with academic support. Corey, Molly, and Brooke have been my biggest cheerleaders to date. When you have faculty behind your back, wanting to see you win, It makes your experience ten times better. I will be extremely sad not being able to work with them anymore, but I know I will always have them behind my back cheering me on. Thank you, Corey, Molly, and Brooke, you have no idea how much your support has meant to me. Besides the faculty, I would also like to say thank you to my family. My family has been a constant support system of mine these past couple of years and have been my biggest motivators. My parents, sisters, and best friend Sierra have always pushed me to want to do and be better. These past four years have definitely had their trials and tribulations, but leaving here, I can say It all was worth it. I am leaving here with a lot more than what I came with, and I am forever grateful for that.
