Students’ reasons for choosing Kent State are as varied as the students themselves. Here, Stater staffers reveal the reasoning behind their decisions to become Golden Flashes. Everyone’s got a story – what’s yours?

• “I came to tour Kent State. Everyone here was friendly, enthusiastic and told me everything I needed to know about the university. The students here seemed to be my kind of people, and I could picture myself fitting in here.”

– Theresa Bruskin, junior (Copy Desk Chief)

• “It was still close to home but far enough to get away. For me, it was more of a decision I made on a whim. It wasn’t like I had solid plans to come to Kent State my entire life.”

– Kristen Russo, senior (Managing editor)

• “My dad’s a professor here – free tuition. I discovered the great journalism program my second semester. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kent State. I’ve found my niche and met great people.”

– Kiera Manion-Fischer, sophomore (Reporter)

• “Low tuition. Great program. Endless opportunities to gain experience while on-campus.”

– Adam Griffiths, sophomore (Columnist)

• “Kent State offered me the most scholarship money. It was never my first choice, mainly because it was so close to my home in Stow. But I decided to give it a chance, and so far it has been a perfect fit and more than I could have hoped for.”

– Christina Stavale, sophomore (Reporter)

• “I chose to attend Kent after transferring from West Virginia University. My WVU experience didn’t quite turn out how I expected, and after a disappointing first semester, I decided to leave. Coming to Kent was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

– Jenna Staul, sophomore (Columnist)

• “While I was touring my second choice school in South Carolina, I realized that Kent State had it all – good size, location and program. As luck would have it, Kent State happened to be playing baseball against Winthrop University that day. Kent State won. That basically sealed the deal for me.”

– Jackie Valley, sophomore (Columnist)

• “(I chose Kent State) because I was pursuing an idea for my PhD thesis, and it brought me here, at the buckeye state, at the heart of it all!”

– David Soler, PhD candidate (Columnist)

• “Kent State is the campus I grew up on, and it was really the only place where I could see myself going.”

– Chris Sharron, sophomore (Illustrator)