Name:  Tekla Kilpatrick
Hometown:  Little Chute, WI
College:  Silver Lake College of the Holy Family
Major: Business management and theology double major

Why did you choose your college or university?
Before I started college, I took a gap year. I had heard so much about how expensive college was and how difficult it was to get a job that I was not sure it was worth it. After hearing about Silver Lake’s work/study college model, I realized that there was a way to ensure that college would get me into a job. Also, Silver Lake is one of the few schools in Wisconsin that offers a theology major.

How has financial aid impacted your college experience?
College is incredibly expensive, and I have been blessed at every step of my education to be able to make it financially. Not only does financial aid affect you as a person, but it also shapes your environment. I have meet plenty of incredible people who would not have been able to go to college except through financial aid. These people bring new life to the college, and, without them, our schools wouldn’t be the same.

What will a college degree mean to you?
Having a college degree means for me that I am prepared for my future job. I need to have the right skills before I enter a place of business, and college will prepare me. College is a tool I can use to get me where I want to go.

Have you learned something during college you didn’t expect?
While in college, I have realized how achievable the future is. It’s interesting to see how I am getting closer to my goals and realizing that it is not an impossibility.

What are your plans after graduation?
I want to be an entrepreneur and run an ethical business that fairly employs people and helps to grow the local economy.