Allison Kiefer
Kiefer will be graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. She entered nursing because of a drive to make a healthier community. She has had many experiences in the clinical setting educating others about health. As a student-athlete she has mentored younger student nurse athletes, reviewing and studying with them during team travel and day to day activities.
After graduation Kiefer will be taking her National Licensing Exam to become a Registered Nurse in the state of Oklahoma. She has recently accepted a Registered Nurse position in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa.
In 10 years Kiefer hopes to be a certified critical care nurse and a clinical nurse educator, passing her knowledge on to new nurses.
Kiefer’s advice for underclassmen is to, “Take advantage of every minute of these four years.” Kiefer said, “I want to be remembered as the woman who demolished expectations, excelling in everything she tried.”
Lauren Stanley
Stanley will be graduating with degrees in psychology and speech-language pathology with a minor in pre-law. She has worked with Catholic Charities in their Immigration Law Department.
Stanley has volunteered for Reading Partners and the Dream Project. “I hope that by pouring into these kids (whether that be by helping them learn to read or editing college essays), I have made some difference in their lives,” Stanley said.
After graduation, Stanley will be attending Harvard Law School. In 10 years she says, “I would like to work in policy, arguing cases that deal with social justice issues.”
Stanley’s advice for underclassmen is to, “get involved! You never know what you will like until you try it.”
Stanley hopes the legacy she leaves is that, “I have encouraged others to be in leadership positions and give back to the community.”
Julie Kernan
Kernen is a speech-language pathology major. She is a Reading Partner at Kendall Whittier Elementary school and says “the skills I have learned at TU have most definitely helped me in my volunteering.”
After graduation Kernen plans to continue her education by attending graduate school here at TU. In 10 years she hopes to be working as a speech pathologist either in a hospital or a school in St. Louis.
Kernen’s advice for underclassmen is to “make the most of your 4 years here at TU. Get involved, make friends, and learn as much as you can because it will be over before you know it.”
Kaitlyn Jackson
Jackson is a nursing major. She has served as the President of the TU Student Nursing Association and has actively served within the nursing program. Jackson has served in many community service projects through TUSNA, SA and nursing clinicals. Through her community clinical rotation, she has served in the Veteran’s Affairs clinic, hospice services and the Children’s First Program for at-risk mothers and infants.
After graduation Jackson will be entering a graduate rotation program at St. John Medical Center. Somtime in the next 10 years, she hopes to return to TU to get her Master’s in Nursing as well.
Jackson’s advice for underclassmen is to, “invest your time in things you love and in other people at TU. College is a time of growth, not only scholastically, but personally and professionally as well.”
“I hope to have left a legacy of involvement and caring for others. I hope I have helped someone to soar a little higher through my time at TU,” Jackson said.
Kedrica Taylor
Taylor will be graduating with a degree in nursing.
Taylor is the senior representative for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Council and has strived to maintain fluid communication between TU’s nursing faculty and senior nursing students. She has also been recently initiated into Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society.
Taylor has provided perspective as a student delegate of the College of Health Sciences Forum and senior representative for BSN Council. She hopes to contribute to bettering the experiences for TU nursing students after her.
After graduation, Taylor will be working in cardiac telemetry at Saint Francis Hospital. In 10 years, she would like to be working at a private practice as a pediatric nurse practitioner in Chicago, IL.
Taylor advises underclassmen to “never let the fear of failure hinder you in any way, shape, or form. Learn from your failures and use them to further your success.”
“I would like to leave a legacy of perseverance, dedication, and humility. Whether within my major or with various extracurricular activities, I’ve always tried to stay committed to what I had to carry out, as well as to the people I was working with. I set personal goals for myself, and stuck to them even when I failed. I absolutely LOVE TU and being a part of the Hurricane family, and I’m truly going to miss it,” said Taylor.
Laura Grosz
Grosz’s field of study is athletic training, with a pre-physical therapy track. She is Treasurer for the District 5 Athletic Training Student Leadership Council. Last year she was selected to represent Oklahoma in the District 5 Student Quiz Bowl competition. She is also the President of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries on campus.
Grosz has worked clinical rotations for the past 3 and a half years, logging almost 2,000 clinical hours with various sports teams at TU, including football, soccer, rowing, basketball and tennis, plus two semesters at off-campus locations including Union High School, Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Clinic and American Airlines.
After graduation, Grosz and her fiancé are getting married and moving to Oklahoma City. Grosz is currently looking for a job in either athletic training or a health-related field to gain work experience before she applies to the University of Oklahoma Physical Therapy School, which she hopes to attend in the summer of 2016.
In 10 years, she hopes that she will have finished physical therapy school and will have practiced for several years. She hopes that she and her husband will ultimately move to a Spanish-speaking country and do long-term medical missions together.
Grosz’s advice for underclassmen is to “work hard from the very beginning. The harder you work at the beginning of each semester, the easier it will be for you at the end when finals roll around.”
“Don’t be addicted to Netflix; there are so many other activities to do and organizations to get involved in around campus and around Tulsa!” she continued.
Grosz hopes to be remembered as “someone who was always willing to help out, always did my best at whatever I chose to do, and who always wanted to impact those around me for the better.”
Hunter Allen
Allen is graduating with a degree in exercise and sports science. He has had three internships at different physical therapy outpatient clinics where he was able to apply knowledge from class while working alongside some great PTs.
Allen served as Vice President in his fraternity, and has used his position to improve the chapter’s overall campus involvement. “I feel that being a member of Lambda Chi was a big part of my overall experience at TU and I wanted to challenge the other guys to make the most of the opportunities that TU has to offer,” Allen said.
Allen made it a priority to have 15 hours of volunteer service each semester; including volunteering at the Oklahoma food bank, Tulsa SPCA, Habitat for Humanity and the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges.
Allen will be returning to TU in the fall to receive a minor in psychology and then pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
In 10 years Allen would like to live in the Midwest region where he can be close to his family in New Mexico and Colorado. His vision is to work in an outpatient clinic as a physical therapist, with the goal of one day owning his own clinic. He knows that he will be partnering with his family in running a ranch that has been in operation for over 50 years in northeastern New Mexico.
Allen’s advice for underclassmen is, “A quote that my dad gave me before coming to college by David Gemmell says ‘A warrior… feeds his body well; he trains it, works on it. Where he lacks knowledge, he studies. But above all he must believe.’”
“I would challenge underclassmen to make the most of the college years to develop themselves personally, physically and spiritually. There is no greater time to find your identity, both in the world and in God’s eyes,” Allen continued.
Brandi Krieg
Krieg is an exercise and sports science major with a minor in psychology. Krieg has earned her National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Personal Training Certification. She has also spent time developing a corporate health and wellness program for a software company.
In the field of psychology, she has been involved with a TU research lab, SPARTA, as an undergraduate research assistant. This past month Krieg submitted a research poster for the TU Colloquium from some of the work she did in the lab.
In 10 years Krieg hopes she will have survived and successfully finished naturopathic medical school and be working as a licensed naturopathic doctor. She hopes to have established her own practice by then.
“I also would be pretty happy somewhere around the world working as a doctor. I think it might be very helpful for my career to spend time practicing medicine in other cultures,” she said.
Krieg’s advice for underclassmen is to “put on their big kid pants, work your butt off, but don’t lose who you are and what makes you happy.”
“If I wanted to leave something, I hope I would leave part of the fighter in me. There are things in life you cannot control, but for me I fight for the things I can. I’ve grown up my whole life with the mindset that hard work will pay off and since college I’ve learned that it’s not just hard work, it’s being able to get up when you’re knocked down and never stop fighting for your dream and what you believe in,” Krieg said.
