Kerri Abbott ‘20 is a quiet and introverted person, so taking on the role as Resident Assistant of a floor of first-year students was a bit overwhelming. But she’s glad she took on the challenge.

“The RA job has helped to push me out of my comfort zone and has helped me make a lot of connections that I wouldn’t have been able to make otherwise,” she said. “I’ve also been able to grow my leadership skills and become more confident in myself as a person.”

Kerri, who is a Communications major, is gaining a lot of leadership experience at Thomas College. Besides being an RA, she’s also the public relations officer for the Business Leadership Club.

“The club is focused on promoting good business practices around campus. The club is currently working together to compete in a case study competition and knowledge bowl for the Society for the Advancement of Management conference,” she said. “This club has taught me a lot of important skills such as how to create a good LinkedIn profile and the importance of good business practices.”

If she didn’t seem busy enough, Kerri is also working towards completing her bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four as part of Thomas College’s accelerated program, the Kiest-Morgan (KM) Scholar program.

“I decided to take on the challenge of being a KM student because I felt that it would really benefit me to finish my degree early,” she said. “Graduating early will save me a lot of money in the long run, because I’m earning my degree faster and will be able to find a job in the real world much earlier than my peers.”

Kerri said she enjoys the Communications program with its concentration in Marketing and Public Relations.

“I love how broad the subject is and how I get to study everything from web design to journalism to event planning. The major has opened me up to a lot of different career paths that I could take, and I love getting to learn lots of different things,” she said. “I love the Communications degree because instead of just learning from a textbook, I’m building a portfolio of projects and research that I’ve done to show future employers.”

Overall, Kerri is so happy she chose to study at Thomas College. She is especially proud of the person she has grown into the past two years she’s been here.

“Thomas College has introduced me to so many new people and opportunities. I am grateful for all the new friends I’ve made and all the experiences I’ve had. I love my classes and my professors and feel I am being more prepared for the real world.”