CourtesyThere are many parallels in the lives of Wichita State alumni Kris and Leslie Wessel.
They were both Jabara scholars. Both real estate majors. Before even graduating, they managed to get part- and full-time jobs in their field. And today, they鈥檙e both working as real estate agents in Wichita.
Oh, and they鈥檙e married to each other.
With such similar experiences, it鈥檚 not surprising that Kris and Leslie also agree on the most valuable part of their time at Wichita State: campus involvement.
鈥淚鈥檇 say the biggest influence on my experience at 麻豆传媒 and success since would be being involved on campus while I was there, including on-campus housing, different organizations and our Greek system,鈥� Leslie said. 鈥淥ur best friends and quite a few of my clients still come from those connections that Kris and I wouldn鈥檛 have made otherwise.鈥�
The student experience
Leslie graduated in 2006, and since then she鈥檚 worked for The Carnahan Group at J.P. Weigand & Sons Inc. Kris, who graduated in 2005, works for The Martens Cos. He started there when he was a junior and has been there since.
They鈥檝e been married for seven years and have a 2-year-old son, Kasten.
There鈥檚 a bit of disagreement on where they met: Kris said it was at an event for Jabara Scholarship winners. Leslie said they first met as part of the same student organization, SIFE.
鈥淚 like to tease her, because I was apparently not too memorable the first time, and she does not remember our first introduction,鈥� Kris said. 鈥淲e met again through SIFE, and I was apparently more memorable the second time.鈥�
Regardless, they said, it was more than just attending classes that made the difference.
Leslie is a big proponent of living on campus for at least a year. She lived in Fairmount Towers and Wheatshocker Apartments, and Kris lived in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.
鈥淚 think it is very important to be involved on campus,鈥� Kris said. 鈥淓ducation is your purpose for being there, but the college experience is what makes you a whole person.
Taking part in the campus life opportunities is what helped Kris become a well-rounded person and not just a good student.
鈥淚 cured a lot of my shortcomings over those four years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n my campus involvement, I met a lot of other students who didn鈥檛 fit into the same mold I did. You can learn a lot from someone who has different talents than you do.鈥�
Stepping stones
Also vital to their career success was the ability to find a related job in real estate while they earned degrees. It got their foot in the door of the industry, helped build their resume and gave them experience beyond the classroom.
It鈥檚 one of the benefits of going to college in an urban environment, Kris said.
鈥淭here are tons of degree-holding college grads out there, so it is important to have some kind of advantage over the other candidates,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n a city like Wichita, there are a lot of opportunities that you don鈥檛 get in a smaller college town.鈥�
The job he had as appraisal assistant at The Martens Cos. was the perfect complement to his coursework, Kris said.
Midway through her junior year, Leslie got a job at Ritchie Development as a new home sales consultant assistant. She worked there until shortly after graduation.
She worked full time while taking classes at night.
鈥淭he position was key in giving me real estate sales and management experience, getting my Realtor鈥檚 license and a great stepping stone to where I am now.鈥�