My Journey From The Beginning With Bloomsburg University…

Kelsey Lowrey
Nov 2 · 17 min read
Kelsey Lowrey, Sophomore Year, Tour Guide Profile Image, By Jaime North

Join me in my story from my junior year of high school, to graduating, attending Bloomsburg, and to my current day as a sophomore. Enjoy the photos, stories, and reasons why and how I ended up at Bloomsburg University.

My journey to Bloomsburg began in my hometown, in South Central PA. In the teacher’s lounge of Juniata High School at a long brown table, I sat with other classmates as a junior patiently waiting to hear information about the only school I had even began to think about. Little did I know on that day that I would meet a person who plays such a big part in my life today as a sophomore at Bloomsburg.

That day the Assistant Director of Admissions, Sibel Rasim, grazed the surface of what I needed to know about Bloomsburg. She encouraged us all to come visit the campus on tour because talking about it without seeing it doesn’t do it any justice! That became my very first steps towards Bloomsburg, and to this day Sibel remembers just how excited I was to take them.

That summer before my senior year I visited Bloomsburg for the first time. What more did I expect on a trip with my parents than to “get lost” and park in the wrong parking lot, then having to move our car. Lucky for me I am like my mother and we arrived more than the typical “early” that day.

As we walked onto campus from behind the library towards the Student Service Center, I took my first picture of Bloomsburg University. I posted it to my snapchat story right away because I was so excited and wanted everyone to know I was there visiting.

I had already had it in my mind what I wanted to major in: Social Work. I heard Bloomsburg had a good program for this, which is why it became the first school I wanted to look into. How meant to be was it that my tour guide that day was Lauren, a social work major? This became one of the main reasons I was set on Bloomsburg. After and during tour Lauren was able to answer all of mine and my mothers questions about the program which was one of the first ropes that pulled me in, saying this is the school for you.

Lauren then gave us the bus tour of Upper Campus. She pointed out a few things my parents loved:

  • A parking lot where freshman park, and can bring their cars their first year as a student. Good ol’ Blue Lot [pictured below]… To my parents, this meant I could come home when I needed to, and we wouldn’t have to go months apart. Back then, I really didn’t think having my car to go home was a big deal. Now, I realize how quickly I had missed my sisters and was ready to go home to visit them, my parents, and my dog. It really made a difference when I needed a getaway from school work.
Blue Lot Sunset
Kelsey and Kassie outside MPA, October 2019
  • Also on Upper Campus we saw the housing options after living in the Residence Halls my freshman year. My dad was glad to know I didn’t have to stress about rent if I didn’t want to and I could remain to live on campus if I wanted to. We loved this so much that now as a sophomore I live in Montgomery Place Apartments (MPA) with my roommate Kassie [left] and we love it too. For the same reason my parents did:
  • UNIVERSITY SHUTTLE BUSES. Lazy college students right? I don’t have to walk if I don’t want to, and especially not in the rain or snow. The shuttles run every 10–15 minutes around Upper Campus to take us down to class, up to Monty’s Restaurant, and to any other apartment complex or athletic fields. When the weather is perfection we will walk here and there, but the shuttle is often times our go to transportation. As a freshman the bus took me to me car in Blue Lot so I could go home. To my parents, the shuttles getting me where I needed to go safely was exactly what they needed to hear.

When it came to our walking tour of Lower Campus, it just kept getting better and better.

Not only did I learn about all the resources and academic buildings, I learned about the printers all over campus and the free prints included in my tuition. I was so thankful that day that Lauren told us that and saved me the money I would have spent getting a printer.

By the time we got through all the things I needed to know about the academic side of Bloomsburg it was lunch time. We entered the social side of campus on our tour to look at dining options, student activities, and freshman housing. I remember laughing after every food option we looked at because my dad was so “hangry” he just couldn’t wait.

That day I had my first encounter with the Scranton Commons dining hall because dad told me I needed to try the food now because I would spend so much time there, andddddddd he wanted at least a 3 course meal. I remember loving the salad bar to pair with each meal and then ending with home made ice cream: Perfection.

I recall the end of this day quite clearly because I was in love. In high school I was our Student Section/Rowdy Crowd Coordinator. Myself and other students planned the themes to get rowdy supporting all our sports teams, so you already know my closet was decked out with my high school colors. I was determined to add Bloomsburg to that to. My dreams had been crushed immediately because summer of 2017 was the establishment of David L. Soltz Hall. The University Store was in the process of moving from Kehr Union to Soltz and was closed during my visit.

My First Visit to Bloomsburg, July 31st 2017

On my somewhat sad walk back to our car I put the date in my calendar for when I could first apply to Bloomsburg and told my mom this was where I wanted to go. Even if I couldn’t get a t-shirt yet to proudly show it, it felt like home. She suggested that I look into and tour other schools to make sure I had options. When I say we argued the whole way uphill from Commons… I’m not kidding. It had been about 5–6 years since my parents had been on the college track with my older sister Lindsey, so they were making sure I found the right school for me. I demanded before we left that I had to have a picture with a Bloomsburg sign to post about my future home if I couldn’t buy any t-shirts. My dad, ready for a nap now that he was fed, gave me ten seconds for my mom to take the picture[above] as he turned around in the parking lot behind McCormick.

As we jumped back into the car, I continued to tell my mom this school was perfect, but she still felt I shouldn’t stop my search with the first and only school I had any information on. Then my dad talked about everything we had learned that day and pointed out all the great things he loved about it and more. He said, “If she wants to stop looking, let her apply and see where it goes.” With that we picked out our favorite BU gear at Wal-Mart that I had hunted down. Afterwards, my dad drove around Buckhorn and Route 11 to show me everything I had walking and short driving distance right around campus. He talked about what he knew of the area and my mom mentioned how through her work with college campuses she actually knew Jessica Kozloff, a former president of Bloomsburg, when I was little.

We had made a whole day out of our tour spending the day in Bloomsburg, and there hadn’t been a doubt in my mind that after that moment Bloom was the perfect match.

Now move forward, 2 months later into my senior year:

I still remember the day. September 21st, 2017, I came home from soccer practice exhausted. I plopped down at the kitchen table to eat my dinner my mom had handed me so I could tackle my homework. And that’s when I saw the big maroon envelope from Bloomsburg University. Honestly, I was afraid to open it. I had no idea what the letter was going to say, but luckily for me it said “Congratulations Kelsey.” Suddenly all my fears disappeared. I officially didn’t have to worry about a back-up plan, or applying to another school. Bloomsburg was the destination, now I just had to graduate!

Stihl and Kelsey Senior Photo

I was so serious about this school, I even got my senior pictures taken with Lindsey’s dog, Stihl [left]. A pure blood husky him and I are… what a perfect pair. I thought she should change his name to Roongo, but it never happened. What a shame.

Regan, Kelsey, and Lindsey — ACCEPTED

My sisters had been so excited for me then, and to this day are. They get upset, text and call more and more the longer I am away from home working or spending time with my Bloomsburg family, but they are never anything less than supportive. They always text, “Good luck on your speech!” or “You’re going to ace that exam!” and I appreciate that more than they know.

When I am home on weekends and breaks with them, our time together always results in goofy videos, movie nights, and sharing stories about how our last month has been and we are right back to our typical antics. What more can you ask for from your family than that? From the day of my acceptance, they were right there beside me and have never left [pictured above].

Eliza Parson BU Alumni ’19 and Kelsey (senior year) — March 24th HDD

Next thing I knew it was March 24th, 2018, and I was attending Husky Decision Days (HDD). I didn’t have to make a decision because I already had committed, but I wanted the chance to talk with the department and professors of my major. That and my parents and I wanted to visit the campus one more time before orientation that summer.

Lucky for me a certain someone who originally got Bloomsburg in my head was a tour guide and current student at Bloom and I ran into her that morning. Eliza Parson [left]. Eliza played such a big part in me deciding not only that social work was the right fit for me, but Bloomsburg as well. We went to high school together for a year before she graduated, and I was thankful to have her throughout the coming to college and my freshman year process. She made a whole difference in my experience, and that is why as a tour guide now I always encourage students to reach out and get to know people so we can always be here from them to answer questions.

As if I wasn’t already excited enough, Husky Decision Days gave me one last taste of life as a husky before it was my turn that summer. I finally had graduated on June 1st, 2018 [left], and the next stop was Bloomsburg Orientation. At orientation I got to make some of my first friendships and meet some new people. Most importantly the University Store was open, and you already know I walked away with the biggest bag of gear that they had. From then my countdown was on to August where I would apply for my parking permit, and finally have my residence hall assignment revealed along with my class schedule.

Flash through me impatiently waiting for for my new adventure all summer long…

Move-In August 21, 2018:

This. Was. Rough.

Lycoming Hall 314 — Move In Day August 21st, 2018

I was an artist and an excited freshman college student. I had everything mapped out in my head of where everything would go when decorating and moving in. The most stressful moment was when my whole entire life packed into two cars was brought up to room, 314 of Lycoming Hall, by Orientation Leaders and just sat everywhere. I had no idea where to start, what to do, and it was so much stuff!

My family began unpacking, and I freaked out. Once I was in the room, I had NO CLUE where to put everything, how I wanted it organized, and just nothing. My plan disappeared. Lindsey made my bed while my mom unpacked my clothes. Dad opened things for me and Regan handed me thousands of command strips that day to cover the wall on my side of the room. Eventually a few weeks later once I got totally settled into my college life, I totally tore my room apart and rearranged everything! Didn’t help on move-in day when that “hangry” man was at it again complaining when we arrived at 9:00 am that morning and I was still unpacking at 1:00 pm! Oops. By that point we literally had no choice but to take him for food.

Rich, Kelsey, and Michele
Lindsey, Kelsey, and Regan

We enjoyed one more family dinner for awhile at Quaker Steak and Lube before we visited Walmart for groceries, things I forgot or discovered I needed, and to get the whole family some extra BU gear.

My family helped me unpack those final purchases and make sure I was settled before we took the pictures [left] outside the University Store. It finally came time for them to leave.

Honestly, at first I was perfectly fine. I hugged my Dad, Regan, and then Lindsey. Her first baby sister was off to college… you already know she started sniffling as we hugged, and that triggered both our tears. My dad got red cheeks just like me trying to hold it back as I hugged my mom. Everyone outside my immediate family predicted my mom crying when they left me that day, and I’ll probably never know if she did eventually. What I do know is that she has smiled everyday since knowing I was happy and set up for success in Bloomsburg. After this day, the real journey began.

I made it through my first semester despite that first rough day. I quickly realized that sitting in my room with my roommate and our friends on our floor talking and laughing the nights away watching Netflix till like 1:00 am was not good for my 8:00 am wake-up call for class each morning. As our schedules got busier and we got more comfortable with how to time manage, actually use our planners, and how to get good sleep, the whole college thing actually got a little bit easier.

Kelsey, boyfriend Hunter, and best friend John

We kept exploring outside the classroom by finding our favorite places to eat downtown (Steph’s Subs and Nap’s Pizza!), and fun activities to do all over campus like petting dogs each week with Stress Less With Pets. We would always take adventures to go see what cool things we could do on our free time. My boyfriend, Hunter and his friends from our floor would even take adventures with us… sometimes the whole way to Scranton just because we wanted to go to an Aquarium in the middle of winter. Hunter and I met on that 3rd floor of Lycoming only to discover our high schools were in the same league of sports. Suddenly, just like that, our whole entire floor was like a family forming memories and relationships, the more we ventured from wing to wing meeting new people. Our adventures never ended. A good chunk of this group moved to Upper Campus together and we all live right beside each other again this year.

Lycoming Hall neighbors & friends: Maddy, Kelly, Kaitlyn P., Kaitlyn S., Kelsey, and Jess

We loved every second of that time being right next door to one another and began to dread winter break tearing us apart for a month. We [pictured to the left] made the best of our last night together before winter break by hanging out with nearly all the residents on our floor we had evolved that family with.

Yet during that first semester, there was obviously more to my life than school and friends. I’ve always been an extracurricular involved type of girl, so I took a work study position with athletics working sporting events all over campus. I also got involved in the Social Work Club for my major. I actually ran and gave a speech to become the officer.

The Social Work Club Executive Board — Quinn, Erika, and Kelsey

After that speech the adviser of the club, Dr. Paul Felker, actually reached out to me and offered me the Vice President position to replace Eliza once she graduated. Scared little freshman me didn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, but I couldn’t decline. Now the club is such a big piece of my life. I get to volunteer on and off campus with them. My favorite part though, is getting to run a toy drive every fall semester to gather donations across campus for the Danville Janet Weis Geisinger Children’s Hospital.

Most importantly though, I have made great friendships and connections with the students in my major and the club, and it makes the experience in and out of our classes ten times better.

By the time I finished that fall semester I had been prepared to take over the vice president position in the spring and I was very excited. The next thing that came to my mind was the evening classes I had to take that spring and how they would prevent me from working all the sporting events in the evenings and afternoons once I would return to campus. I needed another work study position so I could still work despite my schedule.

Emma, Sibel, and Kelsey — Tour Guide Table, Fall 2019 Activities Fair

Now, remember that person I told you about in the beginning of this story who plays such a big role in my life now? Yeah, Sibel [middle, left]. She sent me that email at the perfect time that winter about Tour Guide positions beginning in the spring. Once freshman complete one full semester, they can then be trained to share their stories and experiences on a tour. That my friends, is where this story comes from.

I became a tour guide in the Spring (2019) during snow blizzards, rain, and shine. I trained, practiced, memorized, and now I BREATHE the facts and information I get to share on a daily basis about this beautiful campus. The best part is I get to share the experience with all of the people pictured below. The Fall 2019- Spring 2020 Tour Guide Team.

Bloomsburg University Tour Guides and Sibel

The Admissions office hasn’t just given me the opportunity to make an impact on prospective students during my tours, they have given me so much more.

The reason why I am here writing this is because I was placed on the Social Media Team of Admissions. I post on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and make Campus Reel videos for all the pages our Admissions team uses to reach out to students. Articles, stories, and listicles like this are included in what I do. I use these networks to make a difference in students college decisions. I show them exactly what it is like to be a husky every single day. Our whole social media team networks and posts every single event just for you current and future students. So YOU know whats going on and YOU can get involved!

Besides social media admissions has provided me with resume workshops, portfolio builders, and an experience that has created friendships to last a lifetime. Such as this one…

Pictured to the left you will see one of my best friends this job has brought me: Emma Sullivan.

Spring of 2019 we walked into our first Tour Guide Training the Sunday before classes started, looked at each other and were like… “We had Philosophy together last semester!!” Who would’ve known that that class of all classes would have been the beginning of our story, but training and becoming tour guides isn’t where it ends.

In case you couldn’t tell from this picture, we kind of have a whole lot of Bloomsburg Pride. We really love our jobs, and this photo was taken just barely two months in. Obviously, we then take a lot of pride in giving good tours and making a difference just as all of our tour guides do. The summer after this we got an email that changed our whole experience together forever.

Emma called me on July 16th, 2019, in the middle of the day saying, “Oh my gosh dude, you have no idea how excited I am for this!” I was completely confused. I babysit kids during the day and waitress in the evenings back home during the summers. I hadn’t even thought to check my email that day. She freaked and told me to check, and then I was speechless.

Sibel had reached out to us and two other tour guides, Angela DiPasquale, and Blair Johnston. She was asking us if we would like to take a position on a type of executive board of student admissions as Lead Tour Guides. Sibel said, “You four have shown commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm for your position as a tour guide and have made a huge impact.” She wanted to give us another chance to take the program to the next level and to do more for our office and its workers. She wanted our help.

I obviously accepted and am beyond thankful for the opportunity. Every time I think about it, I look back to that long brown table in the teacher’s lounge of my high school and wonder… what if I never met Sibel. Without her my story has no beginning, and my journey would disappear. It all comes down to sometimes you have to take chances and stick your foot in the door so you can begin writing and stepping into your future.

Little sister Regan, Older sister Lindsey, parents Rich and Michele, and Kelsey

A s I continue my journey with admissions I will continue to have more stories to share. But I am just one story. The story where my family supported me to no end from the beginning. The time when one tour guide and one counselor made an impact on my life back in 2017. All the way to now as I head into 2020, scheduling my classes for my fourth semester at Bloomsburg as a sophomore. I have recognized that each person has a different route they are going to take. Whether it is at Bloomsburg or not, you will find your journey, you will create your story, and even if it is hard at first, there will come a day when you look back on it. Then you will realize how far you have come, and everything you’ve accomplished. You will be proud.

And me? I’m Bloomsburg proud.

I became a husky when I got accepted, and now, I will forever be one. Just one in the whole family of alumni, faculty, staff, and students current and future. We make one big family that includes every husky, and every little or big husky in each family of their own because together, our journeys all tell a story…

The story of Bloomsburg University.

Signed, Kelsey Lowrey.

Social Work Major, Special Education Minor, Social Work Club Vice President, and Lead Student Tour Guide of Admissions.

Bloomsburg University, Undergraduate Class of 2022 BSW.

Regan, Kelsey, Lindsey: Huskies Up!
Kelsey Lowrey

Written by

Social Work Major, Special Education Minor; Bloomsburg University Office of Admissions Lead Student Tour Guide; Social Media Committee

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