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K-State Parents and Family Program

Black History Month Alumnus Spotlight: Chandler Johnson ‘11

Alumnus Chandler Johnson

The K-State Parents and Family Program recently caught up with K-State alumnus Chandler Johnson. He graduated from K-State in 2012 with a B.S. in both Communication Studies and Journalism and Mass Communication. He is now an Online Visual Design Specialist at Unbound, a nonprofit based out of Kansas City, Missouri, helping families find resources to become self-sufficient.

Since his time at K-State, Johnson has continued to find personal ways to preserve and share powerful narratives.  This month he has been celebrating Black History Month in style. Johnson created Pick Progress, an independent web-based mixed media art project focused on “sharing stories of Black individuals and highlighting elements of Black culture.”  The project centers on 31 hair picks that he designed, each featuring a different phrase of empowerment inspired by Black community and culture.  Johnson also interviewed and photographed a broad range of individuals whose voices are “traditionally underrepresented in the greater American narrative.” Each person is photographed holding or wearing the pick, and their stories, thoughts, and experiences related to the featured phrases are included on the website Continue reading “Black History Month Alumnus Spotlight: Chandler Johnson ‘11”

2020 K-State Family of the Year Applications Open

Jane Dodge Works 2019 Family of the Year

The annual K-State Family of the Year award recognizes a family that has shown great dedication to the Kansas State community and the Wildcat Family. The K-State Family of the Year is chosen on the basis of their current and past affiliation with the university, and demonstration of their “K-State Pride” and support for the K-State Family. In 2019, the Jane Dodge Works Family was recognized as the K-State Family of the Year. The Jane Dodge Works family has been dedicated to K-State for over 152 years, beginning with Jane’s grandmother, who attended Kansas State Agricultural College in 1867. For six generations, each member has made it a point to share their “K-State Way” with all they encounter. Continue reading “2020 K-State Family of the Year Applications Open”

Lafene-Every Man a Wildcat- Every Wildcat a WellCAT

Lafene Health Center is thrilled to partner with the K-State Parents and Family Program to provide information about Lafene that you might not know.  If you haven’t been to Lafene Health Center recently, then you haven’t been to Lafene Health Center!

We are excited about the services that Lafene offers and we want YOU to know about them too! Lafene provides students with high quality health care, focusing on keeping your student healthy and promoting a healthy campus community.  Students have access to coordinated and comprehensive services targeted at building and maintaining overall well-being.

These services are available through Lafene Health Center, including our Health Promotion Department, and Counseling Services.  We believe good health is essential for academic success.  We provide preventive care including immunizations, physicals, well women and well man exams, STI screenings and pre-travel visits. Continue reading “Lafene-Every Man a Wildcat- Every Wildcat a WellCAT”

Inside K-State’s Cats’ Cupboard

Fall 2019 donation for Cats’ Cupboard

The fall semester was the busiest yet at Cats’ Cupboard. On average, one visitor used the food pantry every 12 minutes the space was open. The record for most visits in one day was set on Dec. 2 with 66 student visits.

In an end-of-semester survey, Cats’ Cupboard visitors were asked to share what the food pantry meant in their lives. Nearly 55% of respondents said they’d considered leaving K-State due to financial challenges, and 95% said utilizing Cats’ Cupboard decreased their level of financial stress.

Continue reading “Inside K-State’s Cats’ Cupboard”

K-State Graduates are in High Demand

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University graduates continue to set records for employment rates and salaries in a wide variety of careers across the globe.

According to the university’s annual post-graduation report, 96 percent of 2017-2018 graduates are employed or pursuing further education — a 1 percent increase from 2016-2017 graduates and a 2 percent increase from 2015-2016 graduates. In addition, the overall median starting salary for recent bachelor’s degree graduates rose by 2 percent to $45,000.

Continue reading “K-State Graduates are in High Demand”

Support Your Students’ Education Abroad Experience

Has your Wildcat shown interest in studying abroad, but you as a parent have some reservations? K-State takes pride in working with students to provide a unique, safe, and memorable experience abroad that is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Wilkerson family from Columbia, MO has extensive knowledge about studying abroad and the Education Abroad office. Judy and Carroll Wilkerson have had 4 children study abroad! The        K-State PFA caught up with the Wilkerson family to get insight on what it’s like having a child study outside the U.S.

“We have had 4 children study abroad – 3 in Europe and 1 in South America.  Our way of helping them prepare was encouraging them and asking them questions to be sure they had everything in order.  Packing was probably the biggest challenge when going somewhere for multiple months and limited suitcase space.  We are fortunate to live in the era of the internet and we were able to stay connected with FaceTime, usually once a week due to the time difference, and text messages.

Continue reading “Support Your Students’ Education Abroad Experience”

New Partnership with Greyhound Bus System

At the beginning of 2019, Greyhound announced a partnership with K-State to provide transportation in connecting students to cities like Kansas City, Wichita, Salina, and Denver as well as small towns in between. Especially for students who fly into the Kansas City airport (MCI), this opportunity will allow students to catch a ride with Greyhound for affordable prices starting at $21 (depending on the day).

Click on the press release (right) to read more.

Continue reading “New Partnership with Greyhound Bus System”

Engaging in Open House, a Rich K-State Tradition

Open House Internal PR Chair, Emily Zwick

K-State PFA met up with Emily Zwick, who is serving as the internal public relations chair for  K-State All-University Open House. Emily is a senior studying agricultural economics from Wichita, Kansas. Following graduation in May, Emily will be working as a supply chain associate for Cargill in Minneapolis, MN.

PFA: Thank you for agreeing to share information about Open House with us! To start things off, can you share a couple sentences that describe K-State’s All University Open House?

Emily: Sure! Open House is a family friendly event with something for everyone. Join the 20,000 people who flock to K-State’s carnival of academic exhibits, entertainment, food, and fun every year. Don’t miss live entertainment in the Quad and Bosco Student Plaza. Explore K-State’s 250 majors and options, 475 campus clubs, and nine colleges: arts and sciences; engineering; business administration; education; agriculture; human ecology; architecture, planning, and design; veterinary medicine; and technology and aviation (at K-State Polytechnic).

Continue reading “Engaging in Open House, a Rich K-State Tradition”

Young Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Rodriguez ’11

May 2011 Graduate Jessica Rodriguez from Overland Park, Kansas.

The K-State Parents and Family Association (PFA) recently caught up with K-State alumna Jessica Rodriguez. She graduated from K-State in 2011 with a degree in Food Science and Industry, and is now a 2nd year Doctor of Physical Therapy student at Northwestern University. Jessica is originally from Overland Park, KS, but has lived in Chicago and Los Angeles since graduation. At K-State, she was involved in Student Alumni Board, Mortar Board Senior Honorary, Developing Scholars Program, and Alpha Delta Pi sorority.  Additionally, Jessica worked part-time on campus and was involved in undergraduate research.

Describe your transition from college to career.  What were some of the major adjustments? 

After graduation, I worked in food manufacturing for 6 years and am currently making a career change to Physical Therapy so I’m a student again! My initial transition to working life was exciting and went by fast. I worked with my company to delay my start date so that I could spend the summer traveling internationally. I wanted to take advantage of my unique time off, knowing I probably would never have time off like this again, totally free from responsibility. The biggest challenge starting my first job in 2011 was feeling really tired. It was amazing not having to worry about studying after hours, but staying engaged for 8-10 hours a day with little break is challenging. Having worked a full-time job made the transition to graduate school much easier. Although I had to get myself accustomed to studying again, grad school feels like a full-time job plus extra. The biggest adjustment to graduate school was adjusting my evening/weekend schedule. I give myself enough time with friends to be sane and happy, but I know I must keep a careful balance of academics and personal time.

Continue reading “Young Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Rodriguez ’11”

WildcatLink Provides K-State Students with a Network of Alumni and Mentors

Establishing a professional network early can be the key to a successful job hunt and can help to bridge the gap between the college education and career. Launched in Fall 2017, WildcatLink was created to connect K-State students, faculty and staff, and alumni and friends for career-related support.

The two main parts to WildcatLink are networking and mentoring. Users may participate in only networking, only mentoring, or both. These preferences are selected during sign-up and can be changed at any point in the future.

Continue reading “WildcatLink Provides K-State Students with a Network of Alumni and Mentors”