By Brooke Shirley, Class of 2016, and Lucy Bradley, Class of 2016
Misty Allen is a fourth-generation student to graduate from Eastern Kentucky University; she earned one degree, but wanted to come back for more.
“EKU is home; I love it here,” said Allen, who now works at the EKU Library.
After graduating in 2002 with a degree in criminal justice, Allen returned to Eastern and graduated in 2014 with a degree in history.
Allen, library associate 1, painted the powerful mural on the windows and doors as you enter the library. She used the homecoming theme, Blast from the Past, and picked different dates not only important to her, but to Eastern, as well as America as a whole.
Here are some dates and their meanings: ’63 was the year when Kennedy was assassinated,’78 was the year Allen was born, ’89 was just a great year, ’94 was the year this part of the library was built and ’01 was the year not only when 9/11 happened, but Coach Kidd won his 300th game.
“Old Colonel is my favorite” part of the mural, she said.
So not only has Allen seen firsthand how it is to be a student here at Eastern, but now she is an employee who said she loves her job.
“I want to help others find their way here at Eastern, like I did,” Allen said.