UMSL @ 60 - Kat Riddler

Audio file

Kat Riddler Oral History Interview.mp3

Transcript

There you go. 00:02:00Sarah Johnson (SJ)

OK. My name is Sarah Johnson and the date is Thursday, November 30th, 2023. This oral history interview is part of the UMSL at 60 celebration and will contribute to a collection of alumni oral histories focusing on the participant’s memory of their time at UMSL. This interview is being recorded and if you're comfortable, I will have you sign a release form at the end. So to begin, can you state your first and last name and also spell it out? 00:03:00Kat Riddler (KR)

Sure. So it's Kathleen or Kat, Riddler, and it's K-A-T-H-L-E-E-N, Riddler, R-I-D-L-L-E-R. And I spell Kat with a K. 00:04:00 SJ

And what year were you born? 00:05:00 KR

I was born in 1991. 00:06:00 SJ

Where did you grow up? Are you originally from St. Louis? 00:07:00 KR

Sure. So I'm very close to Saint Louis and Saint Charles, which is Missouri's first state capital. 00:08:00 SJ

OK. And did you grow up with siblings? 00:09:00 KR

Yes, I have one older sibling. He was born in ‘87. 00:10:00 SJ

OK. And can you tell me a little bit about how you got along with him growing up? 00:11:00 KR

Sure, growing up I got along with my brother really well. He was always a little older. But he was inclusive. Whenever we played video games or card games like Magic The Gathering or something like that. We would go to the fantasy shop and play Magic The Gathering Pokémon, yugioh, things like that. He was very nice to be nerdy and inclusive with his younger sister. 00:12:00 SJ

And what neighborhood did you grow up in? 00:13:00 KR

Sure. So we, we grew up in Old Town, St. Charles. And so my house was pre-civil war. So 1860. 00:14:00 SJ

OK, how did growing up there kind of like influence your upbringing? 00:15:00 KR

Sure. So history was everywhere. You kick over a brick and you found more history. So that definitely influenced how I viewed the world. I always enjoyed stories. My dad instead of the traditional nursery stories and things like that that would read from like Greek mythology and things like that, so I would learn a little bit different from everyone else and I so that definitely drove my love of history and stories and communication and things like that and that kind of built my worldview of what I felt comfortable with and how I connected with people. 00:16:00 SJ

And where did you go to like elementary school, middle school, high school? 00:17:00 KR

Sure. So Saint Charles is pretty small, just in Old Town there. So I went to Benton School, which is about two blocks away from my house. And so I was able to walk there. And then went to middle school at Harden middle, which was also within walking distance. A little further at about 6 blocks. And then went to Saint Charles High, which was back to only three blocks away, so I could easily walk to school, walk home. But my parents worked from home, so they were often very nice to just pick me up after work as well when they could. 00:18:00 SJ

Did you enjoy going to school? 00:19:00 KR

Oh yeah, I was definitely a big nerd, like I said with my interest there, I excelled academically. I always liked learning new things. My dad was a politician, so he was always out in the public. I was also learning new things about society, laws, new ways of thinking, and how to improve the world that we lived in, in real time. And so I got to see that and apply it to what I was learning. Or I could connect it pretty easily with a lesson that a teacher had, or what I was reading for school or anything like that, so it was always very nice to make those connections. 00:20:00 SJ

Yeah, of course. So do you feel like it prepared you well, for college, then? 00:21:00 KR

Yeah, I definitely think the public school system in Saint Charles fueled my desire for learning. Also taught me what I was passionate about. So when I was at the stage in high school, I was debating between going to college for History or English because I found that those two subjects I was really interested in. There were things like my perfect 4.0 was ruined by taking calculus, yeah, I don't want to do calculus. 00:22:00 KR

So I found that out in high school. Yay public school, but I got my AP credit and yay that helped with college and things like that. So it really helped me explore the things that I was good at, the things that I had passion for and it helped me get to know myself. So then I could go out into the community and be a better person in it by using my strengths. 00:23:00 SJ

So then how did you first hear about UMSL? When did it first come on your radar as a school that you were interested in going to? 00:24:00 KR

Sure. So I've kind of been hearing it in the past, both my uncle and my dad had gone here in the mid to late 70s. And then when it really dawned on me was more and my brother was here, he was an RA while he was here and Oak Hall was just built. And he really enjoyed it here. And one of my spring breaks was still during UMSL’s classes, so I was able to spend a week with my brother here on campus and really kind of see it before coming to school. And I really enjoyed the campus lifestyle and the people that were here and once again, just the willingness to talk about any subject and just fuel that love of learning again of, hey, this is someplace I can see myself at. So it was definitely my top choice for choosing colleges. 00:25:00 SJ

Besides coming here with your brother, like visiting him on campus, did he and your dad talk about their experience with UMSL before you came? And if so, what kind of impression did that leave on you? 00:26:00 KR

Sure. Well, my dad and my uncle loved talking about just funny stories of we know how hilly it is here at UMSL and things like that. And there were less buildings here and less parking lots and things like that, and Saint Louis does have snow every now and then, and so one time my uncle was parked at the two hill and was going down the huge hill to get to Lucas Hall completely fell down the entire hill getting to school and so my dad just loved telling that story and seeing his brother toppled down the hill. But other than that, I mean, my dad loved- He went here for political science. And so that drove his love of politics and debate and discourse and things like that. And so it's kind of easy to see him every now and then bring up a a class or two or something that he had learned. My brother was really good at bringing up some of- different things. He went to the Honors College and that wasn't around when my uncle and dad came here, and so my brother was talking more and more about the different courses and, I mean, he would have courses of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I was like, how? How are you learning from Buffy the Vampire Slayer? 00:27:00 KR

So then he would like show like the course work and the different things that you would connect to it. And I was like, wow, I hadn't really thought about that before like a show or drama and things like that. And so once again, my love of stories, I really liked that aspect. And so I definitely was eyeing the Honors College for its- it did do papers which I was fine with papers and discourse like I said, but it was less of the math and it was once again a stronger suited subject for me and I really enjoyed that. 00:28:00 SJ

At what point were you like, were you pretty early on, Like, yeah, I think I'm going to go to UMSL? Or was it around the time that, like people, are usually thinking about like college? 00:29:00 KR

It was definitely more of like senior year junior to senior year. So typical start thinking of college. I'd really only gone to like one other place to visit. But I mean just the price, the being close to campus, the metro. Things like that, really just kind of made it a simple solution. I already submitted my ticket to the Counselor's office of yeah, put up this banner. I'm going to UMSL. So it was early for that, I guess, but I kind of made that decision at the same time as everyone else, I guess. 00:30:00 SJ

And then what years did you end up attending UMSL? 00:31:00 KR

Sure. So I did my undergraduate from 2010 to 2014. And that's where I went to the Honors College and got my English BA and then went straight in to get my masters in English. And that was from 2014 to 2016 and that- I was able to get an MA in literature and an MA in composition and rhetoric by working with the lovely advisors here. Where I said I want to get both and they said it's doable. So great advisors. 00:32:00 KR

And then while I was working at the Current student newspaper, trying to pay off school and, you know, work well here I had connected with the Dean of the college of business. And he kept pushing me when I was getting my MAA here that I needed to get my MBA. And I kept pushing back, saying if you can pay for it, I will do it. So he did find me a work study that paid for it. And so I worked in the Graduate office there and got my MBA in marketing from 2016 to 2018. 00:33:00 SJ

OK. What was that Dean's name? Do you remember? 00:34:00 KR

Dean Hoffman. Charles Hoffman. 00:35:00 SJ

And when you first attended UMSL what was your first impression? Was it what you expected it to be based on what you had heard from your relatives? 00:36:00 KR

I think I got 2 views. I got the living on campus view which I'd only seen a glimpse of it with my brother. So it was a little harder with getting from South to North campus in a timely manner and living on campus was more expensive. The meal plans in general, you know, it would be great if we could have had a grocery store nearby or other things like that that could have really kind of helped with that, my brother was great about taking out loans. I was not. I wanted scholarships for that. So it meant a lot more work for me. The next year. I decided to live at home and be a commuter, and I actually saved 10 grand and bought a car by moving home.So it worked out well that way, but I did kind of miss the tightness of the community, being a commuter student and so I’d find myself trying to take on more student organizations and things like that to feel more connected because I did feel like I was just kind of coming to classes and leaving, coming, going home. 00:37:00 KR

So the organizations that you had been a part of- we'll touch on them specifically later, but did you start becoming more involved once you had become a commuter, or were those things that you had already, you know, started doing in your first year when you were living on campus? 00:38:00 KR

I did SGA right away. When I was on campus and that was mostly because my brother was constantly in the Office of Student Involvement. Actually I think it was called Office of Student Life then but yeah, I felt more involved, like pressured to get involved right away just because my brother was still getting his masters here at the same time. So we had a little crossover. 00:39:00 SJ

OK. 00:40:00 KR

But I didn't quite feel like I had found my stride or my community just yet. Mm-hmm. I was still trying to, like, get used to everything living on my own, you know, living on campus, dealing with roommates. You know, all these other things that it may not have been, you know, a priority of just oh, yeah, also be part of this organization versus me saying, hey I miss being part of something and I do have some great, you know, classmates and things like that. I think I could stay on campus a little longer and go and find and do something. So there was a little bit of a dichotomy of like yes, I was involved, but how involved was I?Was a different story. 00:41:00 SJ

Did you enjoy being a commuter more than living on campus, or would you have wished, like disregarding money that you had been able to continue living on campus? 00:42:00 KR

It's a good question. I think that there were some rules in Oak Hall that made it hard to want to stay there and continue to stay there, so parking was super far away. So when you did have groceries or you're bringing laundry or shopping or anything like that, it was a long way to carry everything in and then you had to show your ID every single time. And so, and you're carrying it in three or four loads and you're trying to tell the front desk like, I'll be back. And they're like, OK, have your ID out still. 00:43:00 KR

That's just an annoyance. Same thing with I guess the same thing as apartment life. Roommates are nice, but you know, once you have roommates, you kind of miss being on your own. 00:44:00 SJ

Yeah, yeah, I can agree with that. 00:45:00 KR

Yeah, it''s a good experience to have, but it was, I think I enjoyed being a commuter more just cause I had more autonomy. I had more freedom. 00:46:00 SJ

Yeah, that totally makes sense. And with the Honors College, how did you, how did you, like, get involved? I'm not familiar with the Honors College at all, so I don't know what's the process of somebody being initiated into their school? 00:47:00 KR

Sure. So you apply to it same thing as you would for enrollment here in one of the colleges, they have their own set of advisors as well. I definitely went to their advisors more than the English department’s advisors or COBAS advisors. They just saw less people and because they were so much smaller and so they could give you more dedicated advice of what you wanted to do or they would call over to the advisors here on this campus and work something out so it was a good sense of you know who you were working with, it was smaller class sizes. There were more discussion-based classes. They had the staples of like what they call cultural traditions over there that you have to go through where you have to read different stories from round the world just to broaden your horizons and they also are more paper based, so I especially liked that for all my science credits that I needed. I didn't want to do astrophysics. I didn't want to do anything math based, so having an option for science but to focus on the theories behind it or talking about the implications of it- I was all for that and. 00:48:00 SJ

So like paper based, you mean like writing papers? 00:49:00 KR

Yeah. So and then you would come in and the lectures would be discussion based. The teacher may talk for 10 or 15 minutes of the hour, but other than that, they were calling on other people and you were to talk to your fellow students and debate. And so it was different than coming to North Campus and these classes, yeah. 00:50:00 SJ

So did you feel like your professors were like pretty well focused on students, education and like curriculum? 00:51:00 KR

Yes, there were all for critical thinking. They wanted to push you and to explore things like you were just on the cusp of something and then, like, explore that thought for a little bit. Like go and look up. Here are some resources and then they would kind of let you go and explore and come back to it or they may even say like, hmm, that sounds like that could be a paper. Why don't you think about this for a little bit and then we'll come back to it later in the, you know, semester and we'll work on an outline together or things like that. And so it was really good that way. 00:52:00 SJ

Yeah. Did you have a favorite class or a favorite professor from the Honors College? 00:53:00 KR

There were so many. I think one of my favorite classes was probably like Japanese culture. I forget which year it was offered, but I was very excited because it was before, Pokémon Go, but we talked about Pokémon for a whole class. Just about the different culture that Japan had essentially packaged of its own culture of what was in it, what was adopted and in different versions depending on where it was released in different countries, how it impacted our culture from when it was released in the late 1990s here. So it had a different feel of it. Once again it was like the Buffy the vampire was like, how was this academic? 00:54:00 KR

Yeah. But then you get into it, and you're like, oh, wow. This is actually like I'm learning so much. 00:55:00 SJ

OK, well, to switch gears a little bit, besides the Honors College, what kinds of clubs and organizations on campus were you involved in as a student? 00:56:00 KR

Sure. Is it better to go chronologically or? 00:57:00 SJ

Whatever way is easiest for you to talk about it. 00:58:00 KR

OK, so once again, my freshman year, I joined SGA. Yeah, Student government association. And they had a judicial branch. And what the judicial branch would do is oversee parking ticket appeals. And so it's very interesting to kind of like come in and hear students and other visitors ask for basically an appeal of why they got a parking ticket, whether that was, you know, I was visiting this person or whatever the reason. But you got to meet different administration that way. You got to meet fellow students. That was really interesting. We gave away too many appeals. Too many, too much money. So that branch got shut down. I didn't really connect with SGA. Like I said that next year only kind of coming in for the judicial part, not the full SGA experience. But when I was a graduate student. I was already going to SGA meetings to cover it for the Current student newspaper and things like that, and I'd noticed that there was a hole of graduate representation. It was all undergraduate essentially, and I think just like one student group that was part of SGA that was a graduate group and so I wanted to be a representative of graduate students. And so I joined there. I was able to point out to some of the SGA representatives who weren't aware of it- having more afternoon meetings instead of morning meetings to allow, you know, a lot of graduate students are assistants in in classes that the undergraduates were in, so they couldn't necessarily make those morning meetings. They had to work on Fridays. You know, so that was. Really good for me. It gave me purpose and so I took up a leadership role as secretary of SGA during that time as well. 00:59:00 KR

Going back through, I was also part of a Sig Tau because I had befriended a lot of Greek life when I was living on campus. And so I got to know a lot of the guys at Sig Tau on the road, and I was elected White Rose for their organization twice. 01:00:00 KR

So that is an honor for some girl or person that has dedicated- who's not part of the brotherhood but has dedicated time, effort, energy. It's an honor that they are their White Rose queen and they put a picture of you on their composite of all the brothers. So you're part of the Bortherhood by association. 01:01:00 SJ

So kind of like an honorary member. 01:02:00 KR

So all the current members have to vote on who would be their White Rose Queen that year, so I was elected twice. 01:03:00 SJ

Congratulations! 01:04:00 KR

Thank you. It was nice to have, like, a little formal. It was nice to have work appreciated there too. Some of the things that- living in an old house, I kind of knew their house situation over there on Natural Bridge that they weren't really fixing it up as much. I mean, boys can put up with a lot of stuff I'm sure. But when I was over there, I was- I spent an entire summer pulling out flooring and putting down new flooring and plastering and renovating some of the rooms and just putting, you know, like if you just set aside like a couple hundred dollars, you can make this really nice. And so even starting a fund with their alumni and connecting to their alumni nights that they would invite them up, I would start talking to their alumni about hey, you know, it would be good if you could sponsor a student to fix up their room, you know and and so now they're renovating their house and I think they just completed their renovations and it's just completely- they went down to the studs and pulled everything out and did it, which is great. 01:05:00 SJ

But it's kind of something you started then. 01:06:00 KR

Yeah, it Is kind of nice to see it come to fruition. You know, it's something that, yeah, you just kind of put up with, but it has a lasting effect. So that was a good time. And then Sigma Tau Delta is the English Honor Society that I was president of and I kind pf took that roll on from undergraduate and into graduate, and I worked with a lot of other student groups. When I was an undergraduate, I tried to pair a lot with the German department because I was getting my German undergraduate and they needed more partnership and they needed more help. And so like I helped put on an Oktoberfest with them as well as a Mardi Gras carnival type event too. That was really popular and so, yeah, I really enjoyed just kind of bringing together languages and histories and things like that. Just finding connections between all of us that we have more in common than we think sometimes. 01:07:00 KR

Let's see here, I think, oh the Current. How could I forget the Current, so I started at the Current when I was a copy editor. It was just something as an undergraduate, somebody in my class just said hey, it doesn't take too long. Just come up on a Sunday for an hour or two and just read over stories. And I was like, well, that doesn't sound like too much of a time commitment. And when I went up there, the people were awesome. You definitely spent more than two hours just hanging out. I mean, you probably only had two hours of work, but we had our own space in the Millennium Student Center that we could badge in and out of whenever we wanted to. We also had access to get into the MSC for late hours and so it was a fun experience being able to be part of an exclusive area after hours and on the weekends and things like that for the student newspaper. And then it started snowballing from there, about, like, Oh well, hey, why don't you write a story and then, hey, why don't you go to this event? Why don't you go to this event? And so I met more people. I made more connections, was already wanting to work on my writing craft, editing craft, being an English major myself. 01:08:00 KR

So a lot of those things aligned. Going into interviewing processes, that was learning new technologies, I eventually took on the editor-in-chief role. I started my own video department and that tells you how different it was, right? And so we had recorders like this that we bought for the department. While I was there, we were the first crowd- first round of crowdfunding that was started here on UMSL’s campus and we needed $10,000 for a new designing computer and printing costs. Because back then we printed about 6000 newspapers a week. 01:09:00 SJ

Oh boy. 01:10:00 KR

Yeah. So that adds up. And they were printed and brought up from Colombia, too. And so. Yeah. And I was like, OK, this is taking a lot. When I was editor-in-Chief, I did the best I could, but we still to cut it down to 5000, which is fine. But we had more of an online presence in social media and website and things like that. But yeah, it went through a different world. And so I was once again connected to the alumni that we're coming in, I wanted to hear about what they had done in the past. What could we do better, things like that. And sure enough, UMSL celebrated its jubilee. And then I noticed that the Current was next in line, so I put together the 50th anniversary for the Current. I was able to bring in people like Clint Stifel, who was Missouri's State Treasurer at time. He was also the Current staff writer and he had fun stories about how, when he was a staff member, he went to an SGA meeting and he sat down and the SGA people said Nope, this is a closed meeting and he said, I think it should be open meeting and the SGA people had to call campus police on and took a picture of him getting carried out. 01:11:00 SJ

Oh my gosh. 01:12:00 KR

So it's stories like that that was like this is why we're here. We're here for telling the truth, transparency, information. 01:13:00 SJ

Yeah. So then did he then write about that story? 01:14:00 KR

Yeah, he did. And so he liked coming back and just telling everyone about, like, you matter here. You know, print media is going down at this time, and there wasn't a lot of money. I did start during my 10 year a spaghetti dinner too, just as a fundraiser each year to raise money we raised- think it was like $700.00 or something one time. And then we decided to start doing like trivia nights too, to kind of offset those prices, but also offer like a small stipend to the editors, I mean it was only like 100 dollars, but anything is better than nothing, especially since you spend long hours editing, interviewing, going to events, things like that, and teachers commented on my stories all the time and I loved that that they would pick up the stories that they would. That they would be involved, that they would even suggest stories, or who to who to go interview. And they wanted to be involved too, that way, even though they may not have been part of it directly. 01:15:00 SJ

Yeah. So the Current really reached into like had a had a far reach it sounds like. 01:16:00 KR

It did and I got to go to things I never would have done, meet people I'd probably never would have met otherwise. Got to be part of different committees. I was on the chancellor's Cultural Diversity Council because I was at the Current as well as SGA and things like that. So I got to interact with a lot of different groups and have a higher presence with- I knew Min Choi- Chancellor Min Choi from the UM system, he knew me. So at the ribbon cutting at COBA'snew building over there, College of Business Administration’s building, he was like, are you the student who's going to be here? And I was like, yeah. And he's like Kat, are you just everywhere? Yes, I am everywhere. 01:17:00 KR

And so yeah, it's good. The Chancellor knows you, a lot of staff knew you and things like that. And so it felt more like a community because I was around more, I guess. And even though it was only an hour event or something like that, it meant something to someone. So it was nice. 01:18:00 SJ

What do you feel is like the number one most important thing you learned from that experience of working for the Current? 01:19:00 KR

You don't know what you don't know. And that is the best advice ever, and just always listen. Don't be afraid of those awkward pauses. Silence can be uncomfortable, but uncomfortable is growth and thinking, and it can be really powerful. Just let somebody compose in their head what they want to say or share. You know, it may only be like a setting up 1/2 hour interview, but I mean the one of the new sports coaches, I want to say it was for basketball, men's basketball- he came in and I was like, alright, we’ll only have 1/2 hour interview or something. He stayed for two hours. He told me his whole life story. I promised him I'd fit as much as I could in and I was like, I don't know how much would be printed, but it'll be online. You can share it wherever you want to share it. And that meant so much to him like and I mean, I didn't know that that was how it was going to turn out, but that's where it led. And I knew him a lot more. He knew me. He knew to send his players to the Current to get interviewed. It all worked out really well. 01:20:00 SJ

Are there anymore thoughts that you would like to say about the Current or working on the- was it called UMSL at 50 or was it called something else? 01:21:00 KR

Oh yeah, it was- I think I gave you the newspaper, but, I think it was just the Jubilee, I think, is what they called it at 50. 01:22:00 SJ

This is the Current 50th anniversary. 01:23:00 KR

Perfect. Yep. I think it was with Jubilee. Yep, I could go on and on about the Current. We could go ahead. 01:24:00 SJ

OK. OK. Well, I wanted to ask you a little bit more about the student government- governing board? Is that what SGA-? 01:25:00 KR

It was student government association 01:26:00 SJ

OK. Thank you. What was it like being a grad student on there? I know you said it- you felt like you were really being like an advocate for grad students in that situation. How meaningful did you feel that role was? And did you feel like it left a lasting impression on the SGA? 01:27:00 KR

I think so because I will give credit to Jessica Long-Pease, who was in the Office of Student Involvement at that time. She was really listening to what I wanted to do as a graduate student. She put me on more boards. Same thing with, like the Chancellor's Cultural Diversity Council and some other councils on campus, just so I could have a voice as a graduate student, on top of the representation of an undergraduate student. And so she was really good about what did you want to do and how do you want to be impactful? And so I think that It gave the office and those I served with a different idea of. Ohh yeah, those are students too. I mean, the Graduate office was in Woods Hall and Woods Hall is very secluded. 01:28:00 SJ

Yeah, yeah. 01:29:00 KR

You know, so and we are kind of forgotten as graduate students that we’re just kind of teachers and auditoriums or things like that. And so it was hard for grad students to even say, like Oh yeah, I can come to the MSC at noon. Oh, sorry. I have to hold office hours or I have to do these other things. And so they may not be free until 5:00 at night. Well, everything pretty much shut down as part of campus life. There was nothing that a graduate student could do except come to campus and leave. Yeah, so it was hard to get that sense of community. And yes, there were a lot of grad students who had their own life, had jobs elsewhere, and this is an addition. There were still some who wanted to be part of the student body. It's kind of sad, especially in winter when it gets darker early. 01:30:00 SJ

Like right now? 01:31:00 KR

Yeah, they would just, it would feel sad and it would be really quiet at night too. So having more events later in the evening or something going on the MSC. So having more people on campus, which is better and I feel like I at least I may not have had a huge splash or anything like that being an SGA representative or secretary or anything like that. But I think I gave student involvement something to think about. 01:32:00 SJ

Yeah, started the conversation, kind of. Yeah, that's good. I know at the same time in grad school you said that you had started being involved with the alumni association. So what was your- what was your role in the alumni Association when you were a student? 01:33:00 KR

Sure. I saw something- I think it was a- it was the faculty meeting. They mentioned something about the alumni association looking for governing board members, and I said, oh, I don't know what a governing board member is, but that sounds impressive. And I want to do it and so I filled out an application and went through an interview process with three of the current- then current governing board members. And they were like, this is amazing. We usually just have the SGA president, will come here to- which me not being an SGA president, I had no idea that they were even doing alumni things and they were like, oh, and you're a current student? That's great too. And a recent alumni. And there were lots of things of the alumni association just being happy of a young alumni, fresh blood, being interested, things like that. And having some, like, political and history type experience. Same thing with the Current and being involved in so much they immediately thought of their new committee called legislative advocacy would be a perfect fit for me. 01:34:00 KR

And so I joined their committee of legislative advocacy, because you had, if you were going to be a board member, you had to be on at least one of their committees. 01:35:00 KR

And so it was a small committee with the purpose of justice being bipartisan. You want to advocate for higher education and accessibility and just making legislators aware of UMSL itself instead of the UM system as a whole. Yes, we can promote UM system, but the alumni association is its own 501c3, which means that it can act separately. So we hadn't really had a voice. And so, yeah, I took to that one like a fish to water. 01:36:00 SJ

Did you feel like your dad being involved in politics, kind of like helps like motivate you or influence you to do that kind of thing? 01:37:00 KR

It did. I will say that he had a shadow of- he was first elected city to city government as City Councilman when he was 20 and he was, yeah, so he was like- 01:38:00 SJ

So he was still at UMSL whenever he was- 01:39:00 KR

Yeah. And he was actually sworn in at 21, which made him the youngest in history. And then he ended up serving 27 years. And so he ended up having the longest tenure, too, being the youngest and longest serving. And so he also had his own public relations firm, to which at a younger age in high school I had done website HTML coding and things like that. And so I was helping his business on the side with website designs, later social media writing as things like came up just as like a side job to once again help me for college and other things that I wanted to do. And so definitely it led to- I knew different policies. I was constantly checking in on the news. I was, you know, trying to be involved, get to know people at mixers and things like that. And as soon as I joined, I made him join. So he is still on the committee and runs a subcommittee. While I have moved on further in the alumni association. But he has loved being part of it too, so Karma comes full circle. You get me involved, I get you involved. So it it's fun that way. I was able to get him involved to the point that he wanted to take on leadership. He wanted to do his own- we came up with the- when I became chair of that committee, I wanted to not just knock on doors of legislators. If you go to them, asking for stuff constantly, they don't want to see you. 01:40:00 KR

You obviously just want something, so I wanted to talk to them on a more regular basis and to give them an award. So my committee created the Friend of Higher Education Award and that was quite the endeavor. Just because it was hard to come up with criteria of how to give this out We ended up doing more of a essay type reason of why somebody should get this award. But my dad now chairs that subcommittee and gets it out each year and we- 01:41:00 SJ

So it’s something that’s still going on. 01:42:00 KR

Yeah. And that one was also- that subcommittee, I felt immediately connected to change when I joined it because once again, yes, you're dealing with lawmakers who are making changes every single day, especially during session. You're getting known up there, good or bad reasons, I guess. Getting to work with current students who may be part of ASUM, the Associated Students of the University of Missouri. And so we put together a bus tour to bring students from UMSL up to Jeff City, and that's still going on each year that we do that- where they can meet their legislator in Jefferson City, both their state Rep and their senator, take a photo with them and the state reps and senators love that because you're bringing their constituents to them and they're there for those constituents. And so we do have some unusual alumni who are elected officials. That's always nice to connect with, but I think the biggest thing we noticed that- I'll give my dad credit for this, but whenever we go to Jefferson City, we'd always see like Mizzou tales and things like that. And that really bugged us that Mizzou always had a presence, being so close and the UM system was separate from Mizzou's president, but now Moon Choi is in charge of both. But it was hard to keep that separate anyway. If you're going to be on the same campus, you're kind of biased towards that campus. I'll just admit that. But we wanted to advocate for us and UMSL is still part of it, and we wanted legislators to know that because when Mizzou had bad press, we got less money and that hurt all four campuses, not just one. 01:43:00 KR

And so me and my dad decided, well, we need to have something on cards for UMSL. And so when I was editor-in-Chief, I had written an article about being #UMSLProud. And so that's still being used! Marketing, Bob Samples took it. And they really liked it and so the alumni Association uses it, and that's what we put on stickers and the legislative advocacy group was like, yes, we should have car stickers. And the first thing that the alumni Association asked was like, well, how do we get that out? And my dad said, well, don't you send out postage for a magazine to all the alumni anyway? And they said, well, yes we do. And they go insert. And so all the alumni got a sticker and so suddenly I saw friends- My brother, who was in Seattle, he got one and he was like, I have an UMSLsticker in Seattle, I have some friends- with. 01:44:00 SJ

People love getting that kind of thing, too. 01:45:00 KR

I had people in Boston that they were like, Oh my gosh Kat. I had some alumni I knew from Washington, DC and they're like, I'm, I'm putting this now- And so we joked when we were in Jefferson City that, you know, we were the diamond in the rough, you know, that people kind of forgot about us in Saint Louis. But then people started seeing UMSL a little bit everywhere else. And so it was not so much a secret society anymore. It was out in the open, but it happened within a year of me joining that committee. So I saw change and impact from the alumni Association right away. And so I was like, this is amazing. I'm going to keep giving back because I want to be part of this. 01:46:00 SJ

Yeah, that's just a cool thing to be a part of and see that happen. Did you feel- since you were working there as a student first, what was it like working alongside alumni? 01:47:00 KR

It was interesting. There was- there was definitely an age gap. Just rip that Band-Aid right off. I instantly kept going to- because it's hard to get more people involved, and I definitely pushed social media. You guys need to be on social media, you need to be doing this and they hadn't really been posting. It really was an afterthought. And so now it's starting to get a lot better. They're posting a lot more. I'm sharing a lot more. We're doing more events that way. RSVPing we're viewing afterwards, you know? So they made a big turn around. They even got like, staff dedicated and put it into job descriptions and stuff like that, so that's excellent.They needed me as much as like I needed them. They wanted to feel connected to the campus. And so meeting a student- they felt energized themselves. I could tell the difference of my first governing board meeting, full versus when I was on my own committee, my own committee, we're all equals and we're all working towards this thing. But when I was on the governing board, they would turn and say what's the current student perspective. Like is this something a student would care about, right now? A lot of the times, no. So it helped them feel a little more connected to campus besides just going through staff and so. 01:48:00 KR

What I needed from them was I needed direction. I'm like, well, what's been done before? What could we do more and so it led to- there are a lot more people who are near my graduation year now who are joining our governing board and I mean I tell them all the time is when I think of alumni, I think you need money from me. I'm not going to lie. I don't have money. And I just don't see myself there. And so I want to be, you know, something for someone else that they can see themselves at. And so they started thinking about how they were recruiting, who they were targeting, the backgrounds that people have and tried to make it more accessible and engaging for younger alumni to be a part of, too. And so, yeah, I thought it was a very interesting dynamic, especially since- I hate to say- the SGA president, just really didn't show up to the governing board meetings. And so I don't know if it was during class times or work or whatever, but there is a student voice that's missing that staff can do so much. We can bring in faculty so much, but current students, it's nice to hear that voice and be connected. And so I think we're doing a lot more events that are student concentrated. So like the 5K or things like that - that we're trying to connect more with students. 01:49:00 SJ

How do you feel that your role has changed since being a student on the alumni association versus being an alumni? 01:50:00 KR

Ohh, I definitely felt that divide when I graduated and suddenly I didn't know what was going on campus. That I felt for sure, and so I immediately started looking for outlets for doing more dining with Triton events, where I could talk to students. I really liked my committee doing dining with Tritons, with legislators. So we would bring alumni, students and legislators together over a meal and talk to them that way. And so that felt more meaningful to me that I was having an impact for students to see legislators as human beings and just talking to them because it is very intimidating. But then things like- What could we do for young alumni student engagement? That just kept coming up was they would look to me and I'm like, yes, I'm a young alumni, but I'm not a student anymore. I can give you some idea, but I don't feel like I'm the subject matter expert, you know. So we had to create a committee for it. So now there is a dedicated group of young alumni who we've recruited now that within the last 10 years they've graduated, and their sole focus is just to keep alumni engage from a younger standpoint. 01:51:00 SJ

Try to bridge that gap. 01:52:00 KR

Yep. And that we don't always need money. It's time, talent and treasure. OK, like we focus on treasure a lot, but there's time and talent that we can get from people. You know, we have so many skilled alumni that they may want to just design flyers. OK, like, let's get them something to design. That's something that they can be proud of and help their portfolio and you know, maybe they just want to go to the Cardinals night or something like that. OK, like, let's get them involved there. That's time. They just want to meet and talk with people. They want a network. There's some alumni who just want to go to classrooms. There are, you know, like so many ways to give back that people don't think about. And it's sort of like starting a new business. It's harder to get new clients versus keep existing clients, so to stay involved throughout, it's harder to come back. 01:53:00 SJ

How would you compare like the gap between undergrad and grad students and SGA versus like students and alumni in the alumni association? Would you say it was more or less difficult to bridge those gaps? 01:54:00 KR

I feel like it's harder to bridge that gap with the alumni and students. I think we're starting to do a better job being part of it, that we weren't really thought of, and I think it's because as students, you're just so focused on getting your degree. You don't think about the after that. You're part of something after and so I know as the governing board, just a couple of years ago, we finally put like a flyer in the graduation holder that says, hey, you're part of the Alumni Association now, guys. It seemed like such a simple thing. And like, here's a QR code or something like that that we could keep up with, you know, and because the office of registrar would not give the alumni association that information until the UMSL e-mail expired, which is like six months after graduation. So we're getting no communication to them for six months after they graduate. At that point, you're already out the door. So it was harder, I think, for students, they didn't see any. They didn't see themselves as alumni. They didn't see us really interact with them. I still think that there's more that alumni can do with students. I mean obviously this is great here, but I think sometimes we're just forgotten because we're away. But we do offer a lot. We may not all be Clint Sifels or, you know, CEO's of Amaren. We all do our part, and then there's a secret society. You do meet a lot of people who are oh, yeah, I went to UMSL. We have something in common now. 01:55:00 SJ

Yeah, yeah, I've already come across that just in my short time that I've been here. Yeah, like random people I meet out in the community, they're like I went to UMSL, and I’m like, oh hey. Oh, hey, yeah. You wouldn't expect that in like a area that's like so big. 01:56:00 SJ

Comparing your undergraduate experience to your graduate experience just overall with like classes and advising and things like that, what would you say are some of the main differences between the two? 01:57:00 KR

Sure. It is a lot more hands-off in Graduate School and I will say my Graduate School experience. I will thank the Honors College for that. I'm not sure I would have transitioned as well without the Honors College being kind of pushed the critical thinking path, follow your own. You know, like that's something that you should probably explore more type thing Graduate School did a lot more of that. And it also did a lot more reading. So much reading. 01:58:00 KR

And so it's great that way, but, I don't know, I feel like in undergraduate, I think I had a good hold of like what to expect each semester - sophomore year. By graduate, you could kind of be thrown off by one class or just one reading of justice like, oh man, I hadn't really thought about that or, oh man, that's going to impact this other article I'm writing in this in this different class, because now I know this and so because you were reading so much more, you were having to do your own research, and sometimes those topics would overlap a little bit. 01:59:00 SJ

It's kind of like the doing the critical thinking, but on a bigger level. 02:00:00 KR

Yeah. And it's hard to like describe that. Of yeah, you did read and you did write a paper in undergraduate, but having to go the step further and connect it elsewhere a little bit deeper was a little bit harder and it- It was a little more free-form than yeah, you could write about pretty much anything. With that freedom comes a lot of parallelization of what you could do. I highly suggest that it's great to continue pushing the envelope. I will say there is a difference between the colleges of like the College of Arts and Science, MBA, MA versus the MBA and the College of Business. Those classes were very different and had me think differently. 02:01:00 SJ

In what way? 02:02:00 KR

Uh, the College of Business had way less writing and more presentations and looking at data and trying to come up with this story from data or trying to have more persuasion in it versus, hey this is what you think this is how you back it up, you know, here's my thesis. You know, versus you kind of had to convince the class, or you had to- had a lot more group projects too. You had to convince your other group members that that section was going to be there. I mean, I will say that my writing was strong and my presentation was strong from the Honors College and English here. I had several professors say excellent writing. Excellent. Yeah. Like, this is great. But it really it- they have more like a team aspect with it too. So even though I did my section that was great or whatever, if somebody was reading from cue cards it took down your score too. So you had to be more of a OK, let's help you out with this. Let's you know build team bonding. Let's you know, we're going to be. Yes, there's an individual grade, and I think I hadn't really seen that you know, versus like College of business versus English in Arts and Sciences, Arts and Sciences was a lot of- yeah. And if you said group project, everyone, we were all, you know, introverts and loved our books and just wanted to be left alone. So it was different, but it did help me with looking at, you know, corporate America and those types of things. 02:03:00 SJ

Yeah. I was gonna ask you- Did you find it beneficial? Do you feel like it has helped you in life and in your career since then? 02:04:00 KR

I definitely think so. Graduate School in general has taught me to be more empathetic, to listen more, to know that I have to respond. But not right now. So I can take a minute to step away, gather my thoughts. And work on that, whether that's written, oral presentation, things like that. Just going through mentorship through Express Scripts and things like that and people I've talked to. Personal development. A lot of the personal development things were some of the, you know, readings that we've read here, you know, there were some literary connections, you know that people would say and so it was- I mean, I would always say MBA is great. I would always say higher education is great. It's hard for me to say pre those higher Ed degrees if I could have done my job at Express Scripts, but I will say that my writing definitely got better, so I would say I would- I was more efficient or I did better for social media posts or I learned different HTML tricks and that definitely helped me with my initial job at Express Scripts- I had to do some HTML coding and some of the skills that you know I wasn't- I knew a little bit about, but I was really using in undergraduate and graduate. 02:05:00 SJ

Speaking of Express Scripts, so this is where you currently work. And how did you end up getting that job? 02:06:00 KR

Sure. Ah, like most things, umm, so there was a career fair type thing that was last minute and it was held in the MSC. And they brought over one of their vans that they had done called like watch your blind spots or something like that, and told you about being aware of where you may have your own biases and have blind spots. And so it went through a little walking van and then they had an impromptu, hey, we have internships available in these areas. I went down there and almost everybody was like yeah, supply chain. And I was definitely like, not my thing. But there was one person who looked very bored and I went and talked to him and he was like, yeah, so I'm in the user experience area and I was like, what's that? And he's like, it's basically like writing and stuff. And I was like, I'm an English major. And he's like ohh we have one position 02:07:00 KR

And so it was mostly advertised as like Math and science heavy positions, but yeah, there is one writing position. And so I interned there as a graduate student. Very excited because it paid. It was amazing. It was a graduate position. So I got 25 an hour instead of 20. It was really nice. And then on top of that, they allowed me to mostly kind of- they would invite me to some things and kind of shadow someone on their team who was the intern before me. I'm still friends with her. And it was great. I worked on content and edited content that was going to be patient facing like website design. So the content they were writing it for Credo and the Department of Defense program that they have called Tricare. So I had that direct influence of that time of a snapshot of using certain words and phrases. I loved working with the DoD section because it was sort of like a mind game. They could only allow an eighth grade reading level, and so you had to use the Fleischman Hillard formula in Word to check readability. And so I hadn't really used that in school. 02:08:00 SJ

I haven't heard of that before. 02:09:00 KR

Oh it's very exciting. So it uses mathematics of how long the word is based on syllables and length of sentences and things like that to give you a reading level and so you can highlight what you're looking at and then get a reading level. 02:10:00 KR

It's really hard with words like prescription to hit an eighth grade reading level. So you had to come up with some creative ways to like, what if I say this sentence this way? And let’s shorten it this way and then shorten it this way. And so, you know, you may go through, like, four or five versions and be like, Nope, I had a better greeting score on #2, so we're going to go back to this. So it was like a fun little word jumble of here's what we have to get across, now make it fit this. So I liked working in the Department of Defense type stuff and once again that was because of legislation and Americans with Disabilities and some of those other groups like that had put into requirements for government entities having to have an eighth grade reading level, right? So that's us. We have to do that and meet that guideline. So it was nice to have that kind of interaction, and it wasn't just complete the tasks. I did see other interns that were pretty bored and they would just go home or things like that. I spent my entire 20 hours a week there. I was happy to get paid. I was happy to be there and work on mind puzzles, but work in general and know that it was helping patients understand something that's complicated and personal, which is their healthcare. 02:11:00 SJ

How did you end up going from internship to job? 02:12:00 KR

That would be my boss when I was an intern the second week he was like, well, I just found out we aren't going to be hiring anything from interns. So we can't hire you, but that doesn't mean Express Scripts can't hire you. So let's work on your CV. Let's work on your, you know, cover letters. We're gonna spend time. So once a week, he would help me refine what I was doing and put it into, I guess, the current lingo. And then he would help me find jobs internally to apply for. I eventually near the end of my time landed a second interview for a content specialist, which would be internal communications versus external, and I beat out 200 other internal applicants and was only one of three people on a team- of a new team formed. That's what I did. So Yep, it was really good. I, you know, probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without my manager's help that he wanted me to find a job there. It also helped that the hiring manager of the new position was getting his MBA and I had seen him on weekends and supported him while working in the Office College of Business’s Graduate Office. As he was a PMBA student and I was in the MBA office. And so I had seen his name. I had known him. We connected on UMSL right away. So I stood out. 02:13:00 SJ

How long have you been working there now? 02:14:00 KR

In November, I just celebrated my five year anniversary. 02:15:00 SJ

Do you like it? 02:16:00 KR

Yes, two years ago I went from content strategist to project management and that is a generic term that I never would have thought I would have looked for or anything but it is heavily communications and I am helping patients and coworkers make a difference which is kind of something that drives what I want to do. And it's kind of to the point where my next step up would be people leader. So it's gotten me to the point of- I deal with a lot of leaders I currently work with the VP, so I run their town halls. That's going to be next week. So you know, you get these other leadership roles too that people start knowing you're really good at organizing this. You're really good at communicating this. You're really good at following up with this. And you start reaching out and doing things. I will say Express Scripts is also really good with their employee resource groups or ERGs, and one of them that I kind of took over is called Up Next, which was started by interns and it's all about networking and I- for the Saint Louis one, I have kind of taken on a pet project that I really love to do, which is adopting families during this time and so we have two local families from 100 neediest cases and I work with the social workers to get a list- family members, what they need, priorities and then set up for all the Saint Louis employees to like donate towards it. Whether that's Venmo, whether they want to do through the site, whether they want to drop off socks, whether they just want to donate time and wrap presents, and feel part of it, but it allows me to do that and that networks with- once again the community. It's something that we kind of forget that we're part of this. And so it's something that they say, oh, that is really good. You know, you should do this. And it allows me to have a passion and give back that way too. 02:17:00 SJ

Yeah, that's such an awesome thing. 02:18:00 KR

Thanks- Passion. 02:19:00 SJ

Yeah, I can see how like that kind of stuff that you're doing in your job kind of is like similar to things that you like started within, like the SGA and deal with the alumni association. So it sounds like stuff you did at UMSL you kind of carried over into work- 02:20:00 KR

Yeah, yeah. You don't know what you don't know, and I didn't know what I was going to be doing at UMSL was going to lead me to Express Scripts I never would have done that. I never would have tried out for a project manager role or anything like that except leaders said, you know you have the skill sets for this other job and so it's networking with others. I didn't know that they were going to suggest me for that position, but it seems to be a good fit too. And so yeah, I just thank UMSL for giving me all the skill sets to get me ready for the unknown. 02:21:00 SJ

Were there any just to kind of like, you know, close up a little bit- Have you seen UMSL affect your life like outside of outside of your career, and if so, how? 02:22:00 KR

I think I'm not necessarily aware of exactly when I had this epiphany. But I know it was before joining the governing board as a graduate student, and it's just- I have a desire to give something back. I want to leave a legacy of some sort, and even if it's just 1% better. I want to leave something that I'm a part of 1% better. And so I think that came from UMSL. I think it came from my teachers pushing me to be better. Because I could definitely see that I was thinking differently, listening differently, being willing to try new things. Being willing to have difficult conversations, all of that has helped me have different conversations with legislators, have different conversations with my own coworkers, with my own friends and I think it once again leads me to- Oh OK, I can bring my whole self somewhere too. And also was really good about bringing your whole self and working on your whole self. 02:23:00 KR

So I could bring my whole self and say hey, I'm really passionate about connecting with our community and I want to adopt a family. Can we adopt a family? Yes we can. So you know that has its own impact, too. And so, yeah, I think it's kind of helped me have that thought while I was here just because I was here for so long. To be fair, I’m not the traditional student, but yeah, having that thought and carrying it through was because I saw so much change from staff to faculty to friends I've met here of the things that I've see alumni doing across the United States, just the alumni that I, you know, randomly meet at work too, of I didn't know UMSL did that and yeah, I can tell you anything you want to know about UMSL. 02:24:00 KR

But just being that bridge elsewhere is, I think, before when I was a student or even graduate student. It's hard for me to have pride, I guess, as an UMSL student or even talk about it, and now it's easier to talk about the different things and bring it up naturally in conversation. Or wear an UMSL sweatshirt out and somebody talks to me about UMSL and I strike up a longer conversation of like, what year did you you go there? You know what college did you go to? You know, were you part of different organizations? You know, would you like to be involved again? You know, things like that. So yeah, it's kind of been added to how I interact with others. 02:25:00 SJ

Did you ever have your existing beliefs challenged at UMSL? And if so, how did you kind of deal with that? 02:26:00 KR

I remember- I'm not necessarily sure what's challenged. It could be. Uh, when I did the Mardi Gras event, I wanted to be inclusive of everyone. And so I asked for multiple student groups to be a part of it. Now, Mardi Gras, is Christian in nature, but there are lots of just secular, like it's a party type event. And so I did invite the Muslim student organization then and we had a lovely conversation. It was very respectful but. And I think they came to it more open minded. Just because I had invited them, I wanted them to be a part of it. I wanted them to, you know, promote it and be part of this bigger group because there were like 8 organizations, student organizations that were going to be providing money towards the carnival Mardi Gras event. 02:27:00 KR

And they talked about their beliefs just being the difference between Christianity and Muslim, and that they were really having a hard time wanting to support it and just being so different in ideologies. And I can totally respect that. And I wanted them to be involved, but once again, you can only invite them and if they aren't comfortable or they don't want to be a part of it, I have to accept that too. And it's not a failure on me. It's not a failure on them either, that I couldn't persuade them or anything like that. But it was a- it was an interesting point I think that I guess I had seen it in politics of, you know, people only inviting certain people. And I think that that kind of made me reflective like, oh, yeah, like, you don't see like on public university campuses you only see Democrats coming to campus. Not really Republicans. And so from an outsider’s perspective, we're not being inclusive, and but I know that they have to feel comfortable too. And you have to provide that kind of safe space and you have to have the rapport with the individual senator or state Rep or whoever you're inviting to have an honest conversation, to see what their concerns are and their beliefs, where they would feel comfortable to come to a public university and not feel like they're going to be attacked for their beliefs because there are conservative students here too. So it kind of made me think about the world a little differently. Does that help? 02:28:00 SJ

Yeah. I thank you for sharing that. 02:29:00 KR

Yeah. 02:30:00 SJ

Did you feel like there were any individuals who really impacted your experience at UMSL in a particular way that you haven't mentioned yet and you want to speak on? 02:31:00 KR

I really appreciate as a student and an alumni, the Chancellors’ encouragement. Both Chancellor Thomas George and Kristen Solich have been super supportive of student groups of advocation, of higher education in general. I have talked to both of them about representation on the board of curators because there's always one from Saint Louis, but it has a hard time getting through the Senate and governor's approval, so it often lays empty. So it's things like that that they have been really supportive of- well let us try through our channels to make things happen and sometimes it's frustrating for me that it's not being done fast enough. But sometimes their more political approach- they can get things done better. They have also been nice enough to invite me into meetings too, when they're meeting with state reps or senators. So I can say, you know, what would be really cool if we had Saint Louis representation and just hear it straight from me because sometimes they can only convey my energy so much. So they've been very supportive by- I really loved the Chancellors that I've had to work with have been so amenable and provide good counsel and are just genuine. 02:32:00 SJ

If there's one thing that you could change about UMSL or your experience there as a student, what would it be? 02:33:00 KR

I think the biggest thing that I would change is probably- I'm biased now, but bringing more alumni in. If we have these freshman classes that are already here like why not have alumni as part of something? Why not have you know, colleges bring in an alumni and one of the courses that can talk about their job? You know, we have all these great internship opportunities and placement and skill building and resume builders and things like that. There could just be more as a student that I met some alumni through emerging mentorship programs or other things that I just did on my own. But there are pockets, and there are just pockets on campus that you have to look for it. It's not as accessible. I know they're trying to do better with scholarships. Those were also in pockets, but definitely just bringing in the alumni because I wasn't thinking of it as a student. It's definitely more on my mind as an alumni and you meet some pretty cool people. 02:34:00 SJ

And I just want to leave as kind of a last thing just in case. Is there anything else that you want to share that we haven't covered yet? 02:35:00 KR

I think I mostly covered everything. It was a lot of years to cover, but I think I did it. 02:36:00 SJ

OK, awesome. Then with that, thanks again for being willing to sit down and share your experiences and contribute to UMSL at 60. It's been great to hear all of your insights and all of the things that you've done both as a student and since becoming an alumni. So with that, I'm just going to end the recording.