AboutMe
It's your 80th birthday party. Who will be there, and what will they say?
At twenty-two-years-old, I like to think that I’ve found all of the most significant people in my life. However, if I live another sixty years, those years will bring new friendships, family members, and relationships. My desire is not to just fill my days with people. I want to be completely engaged and present in every relationship. I want to share my life with others and be invited to participate in the lives of others.
So, if I live to be 80-years-old and the loved ones in my life throw me a big birthday bash, I hope it’s not about “Kelli’s life.” I want to hear about Kelli and Claire’s life and Kelli and Regan’s life and Kelli and Tanner’s life. In the midst of these relationships, I hope they say I’ve lived adventurously expectant with my hands and heart open to whatever would come next. I hope they say I was always thirsting for more of life and constantly desiring to learn from those around me, including each of them. I hope my childhood friends say I reflected my grandmother in my actions, selflessly serving others and investing in the community. I hope my siblings say I worked really hard because to whom much is given, much is expected.
My life is full of amazing people, places, and experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. The foundation of my collage is a piano because I better understand life through music. My middle C, my core note, holds my faith and my sister, Regan. I believe that I have been saved and loved unfathomably by Jesus Christ, and I desire to share that love with others. Regan is my best friend, and I desire to help her grow and learn every day. My family rests on the third and fifth notes (E and G) because when played simultaneously with the C, this triad chord creates a beautiful, unified harmony.
The fifth note, G, emphasizes my value of hard work instilled by those shown. My Salvadoran friend, Pablo, taught me that you are never too young to put forth your best efforts, and that I should not feel entitled to anything. My grandmother’s service in the Korean War followed by years of selfless service to her family and community showed me the value of working for the good of others. My grandfather showed me the joy of working with animals and land to provide food for people. My parents seized opportunities, stepped out of their comfort zones, and provided many opportunities for me. I have been given much, so I need to contribute to the world around me.
Who or what inspires you?
I fall in love a lot. Not in a romantic way, but with the character of people and things that inspire me.
I fell in love with music when I was seven. My dad made me sing a duet with him at church, and I realized that music affects people. Music has the power to pull at emotions, challenge societal norms, change perspectives, and unite people. My favorite musicians allow me to see life through their eyes in their music and inspire me to live with purpose. I’ll never forget the first time I heard “For Good” from the musical Wicked, a song that inspired me to let go of hesitation and invest in lasting relationships.
I fell in love with my ten-year-old junior counselor, Eliza, and her family at the beginning of my junior year of college. Eliza’s energy, wit, and curiosity inspire me to embrace the fun in life and strive to learn. Eliza and her family’s willingness to share that her grandfather is an alcoholic and that they were robbed two years ago inspire me to look beyond appearances, be vulnerable, search for each individual’s story, and to walk with others in the pursuit of growth.
I fell in love with diversity when I came to UNL. Growing up in small-town Nebraska, I’d never been exposed to so many different people with different strengths. My professors inspire me to find passion in every day work. The women in my sorority inspire me to take hold of opportunities to grow and lead. My student-athlete friends inspire me to work extremely hard and dismiss excuses. My favorite South Africans inspire me to be an engaged world citizen through serving my community and learning from other nations. Leaders in organizations inspire me to see the good in others, persevere through adversity, and chase after dreams.
As a passionate person, it is easy for me to love passionate people and things. Passion inspires me. I get to witness people who are in love with what they do, and they inspire me to live.
The second note, D, holds the children I invest in and whom I hope will invest in others. The fourth note, F, shows places that have impacted my perspective. Last summer, I lived in Peru, and at Machu Picchu I realized that was the first time I had been truly independent. Time on the Brown Ranch in Texas has taught me the value of agriculture and beauty in simplicity. The Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia symbolize my father’s home and family. I left many fears and resentments in that waterfall in El Salvador and chose to live with purpose.
Some of the most beautiful melodies are played in the top three notes of a key. My friends are my beautiful melodies. They are my difference makers; they help me to be the best version of myself. They play in mud, dance ridiculously, laugh at me in my retainers, and recognize my strengths.Every note in a key is essential, as every one of these people, places, and values is essential to who I am.
These people have filled my life with beautiful music, and I desire to create music for others through investment in communities and education. After college, I plan to work for better education for all Americans through serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer in a low-income school system.
Most importantly, I hope the people in that room say that I put love first, and that each of them felt accepted and valued for exactly who they are. I hope they say they I embraced differences and went beyond boundaries to engage in relationships that were difficult or uncomfortable. I hope they say I was always trying to see from the eyes of other people, searching for understanding. I hope they say love was the foundation of our lives together, and that we walked through the hardest and greatest times of life, rooted in faith, hope, and love.
I’m surrounded by people who bring me joy and challenge me to be the best version of myself. Throughout life, these people will be far more important than any achievement or recognition.