Hailing from Brooksville, Ky, a small town about 40 minutes southeast of Highland Heights, Collin Jarrell always knew about NKU growing up. When it came time for Jarrell to decide where to attend college, he had narrowed his options down to UK and NKU.
“Like most students, I came here for the financial aid that was offered to me,” Jarrell said. “I didn’t want to have to spend a whole lot on college just to get a piece of paper, but it’s way more than just a piece of paper. It’s been all kinds of different experiences and different involvement.”
Jarrell’s small-town roots also played a role in his choice. “Bracken County is kind of smaller; NKU is kind of a smaller university in the state … The class sizes are a lot more like what Bracken County is,” Jarrell said.
The general business major spent the first month of his freshman year as a commuter student, driving back and forth four days a week for classes and his on-campus job at Career Services. He was interested in SGA from the start, but he didn’t want to join while still commuting to school. Four weeks into his first semester, Jarrell moved onto campus, and from there, he was off to the races.
“When I got on campus, I applied to be a senator. I was thrown in and got to do a few things, and then out of nowhere Lucy decides that she wants me to be the vice president,” recalled Jarrell.
On the subject of Jarrell’s quick rise to success, Burns quipped that he was thrust “out of the frying pan into the fire.”
Even now in his junior year, Jarrell still recalls his ascension to the second-highest office in SGA with some wonder. “I was here for, I don’t know, six or seven months and then I was vice president somehow,” he remarked. “Amazing experience … I love that Lucy trusted me with that.”
It may seem obvious from his position, but Jarrell holds a deep passion for all things politics and government. “I love keeping up with politics, it’s just my thing,” the vice president said. “We live in this country, we should be informed about it.”
When asked about what advice he’d offer to freshman students finding their place at NKU, Jarrell highlighted the importance of building relationships with faculty. “From my experience, trying to find a faculty or staff member to connect with first was kind of the easiest way for me. Once I felt comfortable talking to them, they pushed me kind of out of my comfort zone to get involved in something.”
The faculty and staff that Jarrell credited with this influence included Lisa McElfresh, associate director of Career Services and Kim Roush, a marketing lecturer for the Haile College of Business.
“Lisa McElfresh, when I worked in Career Services—she just poured into me so much. I got involved in things, and she kept pushing me and pushing me. Having that relationship with her, along with Professor Roush in the College of Business, kind of made me feel more comfortable on campus…like I had a place to stand and I wasn’t just a number”.
When discussing the support he received as a young and uncertain freshman at NKU, Jarrell emphasized the support SGA aims to offer to other students who are in the same boat.
“Don’t be afraid to talk to us,” Jarrell remarked. “We can’t know what’s going on if you don’t share your concerns for us. Even if it’s not a concern and you just want someone to talk to, we’re always open.”