Education - Student Profile - Krystal Jepsen

Krystal works with students in the college preschool.

Krystal Jepsen
Sophomore, Early Childhood Education
Shelton, Neb.

What drew you to Hesston, and to the ECE program?
Both of my parents graduated from Hesston so I grew up hearing about Hesston. But after high school I attended another university studying Journalism. I talked to my family and some family members who had always said that I had a gift and love for working with children. During this time when I was questioning what I wanted to do with my life and education, a friend of mine mentioned Hesston and their ECE program. I applied and came into contact with Tami, who personally called me to share about the program and answered all of the questions I had. I was amazed that a college professor would take the time to call potential students and it really showed me how much the faculty and staff care about the students and that Hesston could be a place where I could find flourish.

How challenging are the academics in the ECE program?
The ECE courses are quite challenging, but all of the courses are very informative and make a student really think about children, their developmental levels as well as what we believe as teachers. We do observations, write lesson plans, do projects and presentations that make us really go in depth with the concepts we study in class.

What is your favorite ECE or education course? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite course would have to be Field Experience. In this course I was in the preschool every day working with the different age groups. My role was an assistant teacher and therefore my responsibilities were greater. I helped plan the weekly curriculum, wrote lesson plans, and led a lot of the activities. I was able to spend quality time every day in the classroom using the knowledge I had learned in class. It really helped me to build confidence in myself as a person and as a teacher. Being in field experience was a wonderful opportunity because I got to see the real preparation and time it takes to run a classroom. I know that when I have a classroom, I will be able to use this experience for guidance.

What kind of hands-on learning experiences do you get in the program?
The best hands-on learning is the time that is spent in the college preschool where students get to observe and work with children first hand. This experience makes it easier to take the information from class and apply it to or see how it works in an actual classroom. We get to see the developmental levels of different children and also have the opportunity to take a leadership role as a teacher.

What are the professors like in this program?
Tami Keim is an absolutely amazing teacher in so many different ways. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the ECE field and is very in tune with the preschool children she works with. Over the past two years, Tami has supported and encouraged me. Tami takes the time to get to know her students on a more personal level and really cares about what is going on in their lives. She is so willing to sit down and work with her students when they need guidance or assistance. I feel very comfortable and reassured when I talk with her because I know that she cares and makes an effort to understand where I am coming from. Tami has immensely helped me grow and become more confident as a student, teacher, and person.
   Larisa Miller, director of the preschool, is also someone in the ECE program that I have come to admire. She is a wonderful teacher to all of her young students and is a great help to the college students. This past year I got to work directly with Larisa in the preschool where she was my supervisor while I was in Field Experience. She was always so willing to talk with me and give me advice whenever I needed it.

What are some of your most memorable moments as a student at Hesston?
One of the things I will remember most about Hesston is all of the wonderful friends I made. We started out as classmates or modmates and became friends. We hung out together, stayed up and talked for hours and shared our lives with each other. Some of them live close by and being able to go home with them and get to know their families, who became my family away from home, was great. Now that some of them have graduated, we still keep in touch and try to spend time together to talk about life and memories, they are friends that I will have for a lifetime.

What are your plans for after Hesston?
I was recently accepted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska. I will be an Inclusive education major, earning a teacher certificate to teach birth through third grade in the public school system. I’m thankful for the way my credits, especially my ECE courses, will transfer for a smooth transition to the program.