Recruiter on the Road: Bowling Green

I should take a moment to say that I'm not officially writing this post as the recruiter for the Gatton College of Business & Economics. I have to change hats for a city. It's like blasphemy to wear blue in Bowling Green, as I am a PROUD graduate of Western Kentucky University. (and especially when you are on the hill to give Gary Ransdell a hug). UK should be ok with this, as they have a fine, outstanding in fact, employee in me, and I was, after all, trained at WKU.

I also started my career at WKU in the Media Relations office. You all. Campus is Beautiful. Just breathtaking. Especially on a day like today. It makes me so nostalgic that I just want to bottle it up and take it back with me.

As a broadcasting major, I spent the majority of my time in this building: Mass Media and Technology Hall. What a bute. 

Conveniently, the Alpha Delta Pi house was located directly across the street. Now, there's just a park bench...more on that later...

Later, as an employee, I called the Wetherby Administration Building home.

My friend Marcia was on the first floor of Wetherby, along with ol' silver hair, Lee Robertson, and just across the hall from them was my role model and mentor, the president of WKU, Dr. Gary Ransdell. LAS II gets mad at me sometimes when I reminisce about my time at WKU. "It was your first job," he says. "It's not fair to compare everything against it. Nothing will ever measure up." And it won't. Flat out. There will never again be a mix of factors as perfect in my career. Life, well, life is different. I am excited to be living back home in just under two years, and I love my hubby. I wouldn't trade either of those things to live in Bowling Green. But if I could somehow transport WKU to Louisville...done and done. I've asked Dr. Ransdell to just create a satellite office for me in Louisville. He seems agreeable:)

But, part of that perfect storm of my first job was about that campus. 

The campus. The people. The best job functions ever. And you see why I don't come back to Bowling Green very often. because I get.like.this. 

So, some new changes since I've last been back...

Chandler Memorial Chapel. Yes. How many public institutions do you know with a chapel on campus? Should be more. 

And next, my fave. Named after my role model himself. Gary A. Ransdell Hall. The new College of Education building. Grandeur. That's all I can say about this place. 

When the university approached us about buying the Alpha Delta Pi house to tear it down and build this building, I didn't know it was going to be named after my mentor. Otherwise, it would've been easier to say yes! We were always on board with the plan; we'd sort of outgrown our house, the university was offering us a great rate, and we just wanted to do what was best for the university. Now we have a great new house on Chestnut street. (which I failed to take pictures of, sorry.)

Some things never change, like Hyders, my favorite discount shoe store (where I spotted Tucker and Isiah also doing some shopping)...

And how I always get confused with the "Other Gatton" when I come to this area of the state.

Same donor (graduate of UK Business College), different focus. 

And the view, the view from the hill never changes. New buildings. Always home.

So, yeah. The spirit is in me, but sometimes you gotta grow up and have a job and pay the bills. You can't always have every single area of your life be perfect, right? One area or another has to bend. For me, right now, that area might be career. I love my colleagues, I enjoy my job, but I many not ever find a company or a job that fulfills me professionally the way that my time at WKU did. But at least I had that one experience to compare everything else against.

Bowling Green was great. I saw my Roomie. Caught up with old friends and former colleagues. Ate a delicious sandwich at Geno's. Took deep breaths of clean fall air. Thanked God for my many blessings on the road I did travel in life, a much different sort of road than what my life might look like if I had stayed in BG.

And, did I mention I'm sort of a celebrity in BG...no, not because I was on the news there every week for five years as a part of my job...but because I am STILL on a brochure in the Alumni office.

Now I am nostalgic for those jeans...if only I still fit into them! Sigh. 30th birthday diet plan, commence.