BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – As part of the celebrations on Saturday, eleven hundred autumn graduates from the five academic universities of the WKU will be honored.
Amy Bingham speaks to the university’s top academic awardee, the Ogden Foundation Scholar, on View from the Hill this week.
“The biggest issue is that I feel like a lot of my dreams have come true.”
Alvaton senior Zena Pare says it is hard to describe the best part of her WKU experience.
“The internships and friendships that I have made, the professors who have supported me a lot.”
Pare has been home schooled her entire life and has always attended to her education.
“Homeschooling really gave me the space to pursue my own academic interests and to take a lot of initiative in learning and getting involved.”
The same initiative led Pare to set sail for the Semester at Sea in the second half of her freshman semester.
“I really opened my eyes to perspectives on the world, the available possibilities and everything else that the WKU offers.”
She has now visited twenty countries despite the pandemic wiping out her study abroad experience in France twice.
“The pandemic ruined a lot of my plans, but I think it changed and postponed me too and you never know what would have happened if things hadn’t gone the way they did.”
The postponement meant that Pare eventually applied for and received an internship as an analyst with JP Morgan in New York City.
“Being in New York City was an absolute dream. I’ve wanted to move for a long time or at least experience New York a bit more local and not entirely touristy. “
Pare has now secured a full-time position at JP Morgan from June. She says that her WKU experience really prepared her for a global society.
“I’m just curious to see where my career will develop and where it will lead. I have vague ideas about working abroad and I see steps I could take. “
Pare is a triple major in Economics, Corporate and Organizational Communication, and International Business with a minor in American Sign Language Studies.
She will speak at the Gordon Ford College of Business ceremony on Saturday at 8:00 am.
Recognition ceremonies are held at EA Diddle Arena throughout the day.
Copyright 2021 WBKO. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.