By returning to OBU for her career, alumna Kalyn Fullbright is helping countless others shape their futures and that of the world we all share.<\/p>\n
Sometimes in life, when you know, you know. It really is as simple as that. And those moments of clarity and realization are as powerful as they are personal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is especially true when it comes to one\u2019s education and future career path. Everyone\u2019s path is unique. Most bring unexpected twists and turns, as well as a few surprises along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Kalyn Fullbright, \u201915, the one thing she was sure about after graduating from high school was that OBU was the place she wanted to spend her college years. Everything else was a discovery waiting to happen. And in the end, it would lead her to a realization that would impact her life and countless others on their journey to a brighter future.<\/p>\n Fullbright grew up in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, just over two hours straight east from Shawnee. Knowing that any college she chose would have to provide an experience that integrated faith into the overall learning experience, she and her family made the drive west on Interstate 40 to visit OBU.<\/p>\n As they took in their surroundings while on campus, they noticed that they had fallen behind their tour group. But as it turned out, that was OK.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family and I came to a Preview Day during fall of my senior year,\u201d Fullbright says. \u201cDuring the event, we got a little behind and ended up talking to Dr. Bruce Perkins [director of admissions at that time] instead of going to a session. That conversation, along with many others that day, helped my parents feel confident in sending me to Bison Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n While she would be going to college 127 miles away from her hometown, her family was confident that upon graduating Fullbright would return. \u201cMy whole family lives within about five miles of each other and they fully expected me to return after graduation,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But that story was yet to be written.<\/p>\n When Fullbright was deciding on a college, in addition to a school that would provide a robust Christian worldview as part of the experience, she also wanted to find a respected nursing program. It was her field of choice, and she was excited for a career healing others.<\/p>\n But as so often happens in life, that direction changed.<\/p>\n \u201cI came to OBU for nursing. I just knew it would be a wonderful career and I would love every minute of it,\u201d Fullbright said. \u201cWhen it was time to enroll for my second semester, my advisor told me that I needed to enroll in human anatomy. She excitedly explained the benefits of OBU\u2019s cadaver lab, which was one of only a few in the state, and the hands-on experience our students are exposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n The thought of working with human cadavers was, in Fullbright\u2019s words, \u201cterrifying.\u201d So she changed her major after her first year to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in communication studies with a minor in marketing. But even then, she didn\u2019t know where that new academic path would lead her.<\/p>\n Thinking back on her time as a student at OBU brings one phrase to mind for Fullbright.<\/p>\n \u201cLife changing.\u201d<\/p>\n From her professors, to the friends she made her freshman year with whom she remains close to this day, to the celebrations and traditions she helped form, it all puts a smile on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Vickie Ellis [retired professor of communication arts] profoundly impacted me during my time as a college student,\u201d Fullbright said. \u201cNobody challenged or supported me like she did. She is one of the most creative minds I have ever known. Nobody loves students, scholarship or Broadway show tunes more than Dr. Ellis! I also thoroughly appreciated Dr. Kaylene Barbe, Dr. Bobby Kelly, and Dr. Dan Reeder.\u201d<\/p>\n Then there were the times she spent with friends and fellow residents of her dorm. They would gather on third north in WMU and engage in \u201chall talk\u201d where they would sit and connect for hours every night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe next year, most of us lived in the same hall in Taylor together,\u201d she said. \u201cWe always held our own \u2018Last Night\u2019 celebrations before moving out for the summer, which usually included our own version of \u2018The Walk\u2019 and thinking about the best memories of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n After graduating OBU in 2015, Fullbright accepted a position as marketing director for a company in Shawnee that was owned by a fellow OBU alum. She also went on to earn a master\u2019s degree in higher education.<\/p>\n But in 2016, she felt a calling and was presented with another fork in the road. That calling was to return to OBU and work in the admissions office. Fullbright and her husband, Aaron, \u201914, simply fell in love with the community of Shawnee and couldn\u2019t imagine leaving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She began serving the students of Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties as an admissions counselor. From there, she transitioned to a role as admissions event coordinator, overseeing prospective student events and the OBU student ambassador team, The Herd. In 2019, she became assistant director of admissions and in 2021, she was named the new director of admissions.<\/p>\n \u201cI have the most fun job on campus,\u201d Fullbright said. \u201cI get to work with the very best and most fun team in admissions. We work hard, but we also have a good time together.\u201d<\/p>\n Just like a single impact on still water creates countless ripples emanating outward, Fullbright is now in a similar position leading admissions at OBU.<\/p>\n Not only is it shaping her future, but also the future of each student she helps bring into OBU and, ultimately, the impact they have on the world.<\/p>\n \u201cMany students don\u2019t choose a college knowing what might happen over the course of the next four years. I certainly didn\u2019t,\u201d Fullbright said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have imagined that I would meet lifelong friends whom I still talk with daily. It\u2019s easy to tell the OBU story when I know what is on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n One of those things on the other side is the profound impact OBU alumni have on the world. \u201cJust look at the stats,\u201d she said. \u201cOBU grads do big, meaningful things. That\u2019s a compelling reason to attend OBU, but students stay for their education because of the community and the people investing in them.\u201d<\/p>\n And she particularly enjoys sharing with future nursing and science majors the benefits of all the hands-on experience they\u2019ll gain from OBU\u2019s distinctive cadaver lab.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By returning to OBU for her career, alumna Kalyn Fullbright is helping countless others shape their futures and that of the world we all share. Sometimes in life, when you know, you know. It really is as simple as that. And those moments of clarity and realization are as powerful as they are personal.\u00a0 This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":3641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":""},"categories":[228,226],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/kalyn-fullbright.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BMz3-We","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3610"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3686,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610\/revisions\/3686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A Fateful Day<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Changing Her Path<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Nothing Short of Life Changing<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Another Fork in the Road<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Shaping Countless Futures<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n