GRADUATES: Make Their Mark - Kelli Snyder '12

    

Senior Kelli Snyder ’12 began her college career as a physical education major.   Growing up, she had always been athletic and knew for sure she wanted to work in the sports field.   Physical education seemed to be a good choice.   She enjoyed her classes and found the material interesting.

Unanswered questions remained, however: “How can I be sure that physical education studies are for me?   Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?”   These questions are not uncommon among first-year students.

“People expect you to know what you want to do with your life as a freshman and it’s scary,” says Kelli.   “It’s also part of the reason that people change their majors so often throughout their college careers.”

"McKendree offers a unique option for students like Kelli."

Fortunately, McKendree offers a unique option for students like Kelli.   She will graduate with a new and improved sense of direction through an individually designed major.

“I love kids and I love sports so I assumed I would really love being a P.E. teacher and educating kids about healthy living and athletics,” says Kelli.   “However when I started job-shadowing a P.E. teacher and actually got a feel for what the career is like, I realized that I wanted something different.”

"I think it would be an awesome job to do P.R. for a professional sports team."

Kelli had always been attracted to the public relations and marketing aspects of the sports industry.   “I think it would be an awesome job to do P.R. for a professional sports team.   I would be able to conduct interviews for athletes, schedule meet-and-greets, social events and public appearances for the team.   Things like that are exciting to me.”   As public relations officer for McKendree sorority Kappa Sigma Tau, Kelli had gained some event planning and marketing experience.   She wants to take it to a different level with the sports industry.

"Kelli worked with her advisor ... to develop her own sports public relations major ..."

To advance her career goals, Kelli worked with her advisor, Dr. Betsy Gordon, to develop her own sports public relations major that met all academic requirements.   She and her advisor created a class schedule of required courses and electives.   “It was fun and exciting because I knew I chose classes that would be interesting to me and applicable to my career field,” says Kelli.   She loves that her major has been tailored to fit her specific needs.

“The process of creating your own major can be long but it is worth it.   I wanted to wake up every day and be excited to go to work.   With this path I have chosen, I will definitely be doing what I love.”

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