As a high school student at Sand Springs, an on-campus visit for band contest gave Kristin Shipley the opportunity to discover where she wanted to pursue her future.
“It’s been a perfect match for me since we came here to compete in marching contest,” recalled the now senior student at Northeastern State University who began her college career with 39 hours of college credits earned while in high school. “I really liked the small, tight knit family atmosphere and also the honors program here at NSU.”
In addition to her talents playing the saxophone as well as the oboe, Shipley has been the assistant drum major for the RiverHawks band who jumped at the opportunity to organize the spirit band that helped raise the roof inside the Events Center during home basketball games.
“Music to me is just fun and the music the spirit band played is my favorite because it’s upbeat and gets everyone going. The energy was loud; we had fun trying to help our teams win.”
Shipley stays active on campus through music as vice-president of the band’s music fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi.
“It’s our service fraternity that works to support the music students and the university community by doing things like cleaning the music rooms during the Covid pandemic.”
Academically, Shipley has three semesters remaining to complete her degree in elementary education while maintaining a 3.97 GPA.
“I’ve always had a heart for kids so choosing to go into education was a natural for me,” said Shipley with a big smile. “I’m currently working on a program that correlates music instruction and literacy for elementary students.”
Just as her own experiences have been rewarding, Shipley says that NSU offers students a chance to discover and follow their dreams.
“It’s been the perfect match for me. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends that have and will continue to help me achieve my goals,” said Shipley. “NSU has a family-like relationship that includes the relationship between students and our professors who are easy to talk to and available to help you succeed. The community here has something for everyone and you’re never alone because there’s always someone with similar interests.”
