Kaelyn Loveless

I always attribute my success to my family. I have a really incredible support system in my parents and my husband. I had parents that believed I could do anything, reminded me of that every day, and pushed me to do more, and go see new things, and move to new places so that I could experience new opportunities. They have still continued to stand by me and be huge motivational pieces. Both of my parents have been incredible in that way. The other key to my success is I picked an incredible partner. My husband and I got married very young and he has been a huge driver to that never settle mindset that I have. Every time I want to do something, he's the one that's reminding me that I can do anything and that time passes no matter what so there is no better time than the present to go after my goals. He is an incredibly hands-on dad and partner, helping to carry the shared load of working, raising a family, and providing. Life truly takes a village, and my village has been critical to my ability to achieve my personal and professional goals!

I have two pieces of career advice that have shaped my journey. The first piece of advice is never settle. Never settle for something because you think that that is your end-all, be-all, or that's the best that you can do. As you look at new opportunities, look at what are the potential things that you could be getting out of this, or you could be impacting. It's not to say yes to every opportunity, but it's to look at every opportunity with a very open mind, and also not to stand in your own way. I was given that really early on in life. The other one that I take with me from my very first W-2 job when I was in high school is I sat in a corporate training room in an onboarding session, and they said, “if you want to go far at a company or an organization, the best way to do that is to learn everything you can about that organization”. The advice wasn’t to be a know-it-all, but to know enough that you can be trusted to take on a new task or answer difficult questions. These two mindsets - to never settle and to soak up as much information as you can - are critical to the ability to step into those next leadership roles, or those next opportunities.

Never underestimate the power of working hard and going the extra mile. Anyone can do the job exactly as described in the role statement - but if you add value beyond the description, that is how you become an asset that no one wants to lose. This doesn’t necessarily mean working longer hours either - rather it is being smarter with the hours you are scheduled, researching how to make tasks more efficient, and speaking up when you have new ideas.

What matters most to me is the impact I make, who I get to impact, and if I'm walking away from work every day feeling like I made someone’s life better or easier. Those small moments of seeing students realize what life could be like on a college campus, or helping them apply for college and watching them realize that earning a degree is an achievable goal - those moments are really big for me. That's why I continue to strive for more education and experience, or new opportunities to provide great experiences for students. I want them to see what their future could be, because that is what I was given in my time as a student. I feel like it's my calling in life to give back in that same way that I was given to. I am incredibly passionate about helping people - especially women - find and access the resources they need to get ahead and have a fulfilling life.