While at Taylor University, Kelli studied English with a focus in creative writing and spent a semester in Ireland studying Irish culture, history, and literature. After graduation, she led programs at the YMCA of the Rockies in Rocky Mountain National Park before continuing her education at Vanderbilt University in Higher Education Administration. At Vanderbilt, she became passionate about access to higher education and worked in the office of undergraduate admissions evaluating student applications. After finishing her graduate work, Kelli traveled in southeast Asia, visiting Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. She now works with high school students at an independent school where she has coordinated a Writing Center, led student travel to Belize to study wildlife and Mesoamerican archaeological sites, taught courses in English and creative writing, and worked as a college counselor, helping students craft applications to highly selective colleges. This fall she will return to her work with high school students and begin coordinating a writer-in-residence program to foster collaboration between students and professional writers.
