The secret life of MC student Kelley Wandell

            There is a lot of going on in the life of Kelley Wandell. She is a daughter, sister, student, Christian, athlete, RA and more. Wandell is from Clinton, Tennessee where she went to Clinton High School. She has three siblings: Samantha (oldest sister), Trace (younger brother), and Macy (younger sister). She also has a niece that goes by the name of Finley who is Samantha’s daughter and Wandell’s “favorite person ever.”

            In Wandell’s free time, she likes to do arts and crafts, read thriller books, and travel to the beach. She wants the world to know her favorite color is yellow.

            Wandell is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Psychology. In the near future, she plans to attend graduate school and earn a degree in Public Policy and Administration. With this master’s degree, she hopes to work at the federal level as a policy analyst—specifically working with health and social policies.

            Wandell is a multi-colligate sport athlete excelling in both volleyball and basketball. She had a hard time choosing which of the two was her favorite.

            “I love them both. That’s why I decided to continue to play both in college,” Wandell said. “They are two very different sports with different dynamics in each … Basketball is a contact sport, whereas volleyball is not.”

             In her time as an MC volleyball player, her 2019 team has won a conference championship and made an appearance in the playoffs. This past May, the Volleyball team even made an appearance out of the country in Europe to play. During that 10-day trip, they played four games and traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, Maribor, Slovenia, Pula, Croatia, Venice and Italy.

            “The most memorable parts of the trip to me were the views we were able to see together,” Wandell said. “We did hikes, climbed towers, and ate on the top of mountains where we were able to see the cities around us and just take in the beauty all together.”

            Wandell is a very family and friend-oriented person who enjoys the memories she can create being with them. She is also currently in her “resting period” since volleyball has recently come to an end; she is waiting for the athletic trainers to clear her to pursue basketball now.

            Even with all that, there is still more to share about Wandell. On campus she has been a resident assistant for two years, peer mentor for three years, President of SAAC for two years, member of AFC for three years and Vice President for one. Now you can only imagine how stressed she gets from all the duties she is called for, but Wandell somehow manages to pull it off. To ease her mind from busy life she has, she keeps every organized

            “I keep a detailed planner and prioritize all the things I need to do,” Wandell said. She is a big advocate for not procrastinating because it does nothing but make things worse. When her tricks don’t work, she relies on painting, hanging out with friends, going to the mountains, listening to music, binge watching “Law & Order SVU,” or participating in self-care rituals such as facemasks with her best friends Saidee and MacKenzie.

            In some few moments of free time, she likes to drive to Knoxville or go explore in the mountains. Wandell loves to go home, which is only 40 minutes away, but doesn’t get to see her family often because of her busy life.

            You can catch Kelley Wandell in upcoming Maryville College women’s basketball games.