Katrina Schiller was the first of her family of five to not initially attend St. Cloud State University. But while attending the University of Minnesota her first few years of college, she knew something was missing.
“I really wanted that sense of community I’d feel at SCSU,” Schiller said. “I knew they have a great (psychology) program, and it’s a smaller community for greater options to form connections … I felt like it would be a better fit for me.”
The Sartell native graduated from SCSU in December with a BA in Psychology, and she has plans to begin her master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling this fall.
She comes from a large pack of Huskies, beginning with her parents. Her mom Janell (Finance, 1987) and dad Mike (Social Studies Education, 1988) are both alums, along with her two older sisters.
Schiller’s sister Samantha graduated in 2019 with a degree in Integrated Media, while her oldest sister Cassie graduated in 2016, first earning a degree in Elementary Education before continuing at SCSU for a master’s in College Counseling and Student Development. Cassie’s husband Daniel is also an alumnus after graduating in 2019 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
They were all on hand to see Katrina walk across the stage for commencement.
“I hadn’t really thought that much into it, that there were so many of us,” Schiller said about her family of SCSU graduates. “It wasn’t where I’d imagined (graduating) from the jump, but that wasn’t what my end plan looked like; I was super ecstatic to see them all watching me.”
Schiller made the most of her year on campus, working as a student worker in undergraduate admissions and taking advantage of smaller class sizes in her major.
“I was actually able to make connections with peers and professors, I was able to learn so much more because I had those closer relationships,” she said. “It’s so much more of a personalized experience.”
Schiller has spent the last few months getting field experience at local companies in applied behavior analysis, furthering her passion for psychology and gaining confidence in her future career.
“I’m still learning more every day,” Schiller said. “It’s fulfilling to use education and knowledge to help other people and apply it in your everyday life.”
And that wouldn’t be possible without SCSU.
A family pack now six strong.
