Earlier this year we started a series of blogs about the EPSCoR office. The following is part five of the series and focuses on Communications Coordinator, Kali McCrackin.
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| Kali at the Grand Canyon over spring break in March. |
Our staff member, who quietly interviews, creatively writes
and photographs, promotes and advertises and effectively communicates to a
large and very diverse audience needs to be recognized herself!
EPSCoR’s Communication Coordinator, Kali
McCrackin, leads a full and inspiring life definitely worth sharing.
Kali grew up in Laramie and is a graduate of Laramie High
School. To provide an idea of the
motivated and go-getter attitude that Kali possess: After her freshman year at the University of
Wyoming, Kali went to Tanzania, Africa to teach English. Imagine, an 18-year-old woman leaving her
family, friends and the life that she knows and traveling alone to Tanzania
for a month.
“Going to Tanzania is one of my proudest accomplishments,”
Kali shares. “Travelling abroad, and to
Africa specifically, was something that I always wanted to do. I feel like it is where I grew up and it was
a life-changing experience for me. It is
also where I met my boyfriend, Andy.
Tanzania will always be a very special place for me.”
Currently, Kali is a senior graduating in May. She is majoring in journalism and
international studies and minoring in creative writing and French. Additionally, she is in the Honors Program at
the University of Wyoming, where she met her now closest friends during her
very first semester. Kali has studied
French since she was in the seventh grade and also went abroad to Tours, France
in 2011 during her junior year. While in
France, she studied at the François Rabelais University. She has also completed an independent study
project on Africa.
Kali also works part-time for EPSCoR and the College of
Engineering. As the Communications
Coordinator for EPSCoR, she accesses all multi-media forums, including
Facebook, Twitter, blogs, newsletters and video. And, she does this with a large team of
scientists, researchers and educators often joining – with camera, notebook and
recorder - these folks in the field. “I
love working with EPSCoR. I am so happy
to apply my degrees and have the opportunity to write and meet people. No day is ever the same, which is so unlike
other jobs.”
Where does the creative writing come in? “I got into writing through stories. My mom always read to us [my brother and I]. I learned to write through reading. I did a lot of creative writing in high
school, including novels, which I now need to take the time to edit.” Kali continues, “At the University, I mainly
write short stories.”
Reading and writing hasn’t always been easy for Kali. “I was a poor student in elementary school. I didn’t learn to read until I was eleven and
in the fifth grade. My teacher worked really
closely with me.” Overcoming this
challenge rooted Kali’s attitude, “I learned early-on that if I worked hard, I
can do anything.”
Kali has proven that she can do anything. Kali is one of twenty Arts and Sciences
Outstanding Undergraduates and a nomination for the Spitaleri Award - the best
female undergraduate award. For this
award, Kali was interviewed by a panel of twelve faculty and administration
members from all over campus. (The
Spitaleri award will be named on April 26th.) She is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa
Honorary Society and the International Studies Honorary Society.
If not exhausted already just reading about Kali and her
accomplishments, Kali is completing her Honors Program project about literature
and photography. This project is a
combination of the history of the two working together and a series of four
(yes, four) short stories (written by Kali) with pictures (taken by Kali). The last story is told almost completely through
photographs. Kali will present this
project on April 26th at the Undergraduate Research Day and the end
of June at a presentation conference in Steamboat Springs.
In addition her scholastic and academic interests and accomplishments,
Kali also likes to be outside running, hiking and road biking. She was on the ski team in high school and
still enjoys skiing.
“I have to be b
usy,” Kali admits.
“I don’t know what relaxation is.
I thrive with a lot to do.
My mom is the same way and I think I learned
this from her.”
Following graduation in May, Kali will spend the summer in
Laramie. She then plans to travel to
Asia in August to teach English for at least a year. “If I really love it, I will stay
longer. This is what I’ve looked forward
to doing: travelling abroad after
graduation. Maybe go back to
Tanzania. I want to travel and explore
and experience before finding a real job.”
Surely, these travel adventures will enhance Kali’s already
diverse and broad experiences. She hopes
to someday find a job similar to what she currently does, “A multi-media
communication position with an organization that I believe in. I want to be able to creatively get the
information out!”
By Beth Cable
Photo courtesy of Peggy McCrackin
