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Lindsey Wilson University Students Gain Valuable Career Insights, Advice

University's 2026 Career Week helps students find their calling, discover a vocation.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (11/02/2026) — If a single theme emerged from Lindsey Wilson University's 2026 Career Week, it was that there is no single or direct path to a career or finding a calling.

That was what Lindsey Wilson students heard during the five-day event sponsored by the LWU Alumni Office and Career Services Center. From Oct. 26-30 on morning panels held in the Normal and Glen Hodge Center for Discipleship, two dozen LWU alumni and area professionals shared their career journeys with students and offered advice on starting a career as well as how to advance it. The week also included a career, graduate and professional school fair.

Members of the five panels focussed on a wide variety of career paths that reflected panelists' broad experiences and professional accomplishments, including: corporate leadership, commerce and industry; health wellness and scientific discovery; human services, mental health and social justice; education, instruction and coaching; and media, culture and creative arts.

Although the panelists had impressive resumes and careers, they often reminded students that they did not start out on top.

"You don't start out good in anything -- you have to learn," said Dr. Hannah Morales '15, an attending physician with TJ Regional Health.

One way students can learn about their chosen profession is by aligning themselves with mentors.

"Surround yourself with good leaders and good people because they're going to see things in you that they may not see in yourself," said Rex Booth '10, superintendent of Trigg County (Kentucky) Schools.

Kailyn Connor '14 told the students that mentors are more than role models or professional exemplars.

"As you're good at things, people recognize, 'Hey, you are good at this,'" said Connor, who is a senior strategic medical writer with AbbVie, a Chicago-based Fortune 500 biopharmaceutical company.

Finding a calling

One of the aims this school year at Lindsey Wilson is to help students find their professional calling while discerning possible vocations.

Kyle Hadley '10 told students not to get hung up on a single path while searching for a calling or a vocation.

"There is no right answer," said Hadley, who is executive director of Barn Lot Theatre in Edmonton, Kentucky. "Use your heart, follow your head and figure it out."

A person can also discover a professional calling once passion is stirred.

"Your passion is going to come from the experiences you have," said Dr. Steven Tallent '07, a dentist who runs Tallent Cosmetic Family Dentistry of Albany, Kentucky.

Tyler Maskill '22 said that after he discovered a passion to work with students, it was affirmed every day in his job.

"We all look for our calling every day, how we can make an impact," said Maskill, who is athletic director of the Adair County Schools. "Every day, I see myself in a role I'm supposed to be in, making an impact on young adults and young children."

The absence of being able to practice a craft can also reveal a calling. Thomas Alvey '19, who is fine arts coordinator and director of theatre and film at Somerset Community College, said he realized his calling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"During covid, when I couldn't do theatre, that's all I wanted to do," said Alvey. "It was like, 'I can't not do it.' It was the only thing I wanted to do."

That's how Alex Strein '15 discovered her current position, which is a marketing specialist with Owensboro Health-Muhlenberg

"Throughout my career, working mostly with people, I realized I had a passion for advocating for people," said Strein.

And sometimes, a calling finds you.

"Calling or vocation are terms that I don't readily use or associate with," said Lindsey Wilson art professor Kristyne Gilbert, who is curator of the university's Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery. "However, I don't think you find your calling. It finds you. It's not about a job or a career path; it's about the entirety of your human experience."

Soft skills and AI

Several panelists said that developing soft skills is important, not only to advance in a profession but to also contend with the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

"It's going to drastically impact your guys' future," said Tallent.

But as Strein pointed out, students should not be afraid to "put yourself out there, don't be afraid to ask a question."

That approach was echoed by Patrick Atkins '19.

"You have to step outside, find opportunities and say yes to them. Even if it's not necessarily exactly what you think you were going to do," said Atkins, a controller with South Central Bank in Glasgow, Kentucky. "Even if it veered off of your path a tiny bit, I would still encourage you to say yes. You hate to say no to something and then look back and say, 'Man, I wish I would have tried that, who knows what would have happened?'"

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, six graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University Director of Career Services Maria Hill pauses during the Career, Graduate & Professional School Fair, held Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the university’s Norma & Glenn Hodge Center for Discipleship. In addition to organizing the fair, Hill was responsible for the university’s Career Week, which was held Oct. 26-30.

Lindsey Wilson University School of Business and Communication Dean Benson Sexton ’04, left, leads a panel discussion on “Corporate Leadership, Commerce & Industry” on Oct. 26 in the Norma & Glenn Hodge Center for Discipleship as part of the university’s 2026 Career Week. Joining Sexton were, from left: Patrick Adkins ’19 of South Central Bank, Fara Miniard ’22 of Southeast Kentucky Economic Development, Alex Streain ’15 of Owensboro Health and Mark Dykes ‘’89 of Bank of Columbia.

Dr. Steven Tallent ’07 of Tallent Cosmetic Family Dentistry speaks during the “Health Wellness & Scientific Discovery” panel of Lindsey Wilson University Career Week 2026 on Oct. 27 in the Norma & Glenn Hodge Center for Discipleship. At left is Dr. Hannah Morales ’15 of TJ Regional Health.

Thomas Alvey ’19 of Somerset Community College, right, speaks during the “Media, Culture & Creative Arts” panel of Lindsey Wilson University Career Week 2026 on Oct. 30 in the Norma & Glenn Hodge Center for Discipleship. At left is Kyle Hadley ’10 of Barn Lot Theatre.

Tyler Maskill ’22 of Adair County Schools makes a point during the “Education, Instruction & Coaching” panel of Lindsey Wilson University Career Week 2026 on Oct. 29 in the Norma & Glenn Hodge Center for Discipleship. At right is Jared Criswell ’10 of Wayne County (Kentucky) Schools.

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