Today we speak with Katherine Brown, a senior elementary education and literacy studies major from Cherry Hill, Camden County, who lives off campus. Katherine will share her #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how she’s getting the most out of her college experience as a Rowan Prof.
Name: Katherine Brown – my home friends call me Katherine and my Rowan friends know me as Kat (Even though my mom hates it)
Majors: Elementary Education & Literacy Studies in the College of Education
Minors or concentrations: Endorsement in Teachers of Students with Disabilities & Endorsement in Reading
Year: Senior
Hometown and County: Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden County)
Resident: I lived on campus my first two years, now I am off campus!
Off-Campus resident: Yes, I rent a house!
Academic clubs: Students for Literacy Club
Social clubs: Greek life- Alpha Sigma Alpha
Do you work on campus? If so, where/what do you do? I was a Peer Referral and Orientation Staff (PROS) member for two years for Orientation and Student Leadership Programs (OSLP)
Do you have an off-campus job? If so, where/what do you do? Yes I have a few! I am an assistant manager at Rockin’ Jump (a trampoline park in Williamstown, near Rowan), I also do birthday parties and teach after school programs for a company called “Bricks for Kidz.” I teach a math or science lesson and then the students use their engineering skills to build our lesson’s main topic out of Legos.
Why did you choose your major? I knew growing up I would either be a superstar or a teacher. I am not Beyonce so this is the path I am going for. JK! In reality, my mom was a teacher and I just have always seen myself following in her footsteps. I love working with kids and cannot imagine myself doing anything else.
One reason why you chose Rowan? Truthfully, I initially chose Rowan because it was financially smart for me. I moved in my first day of freshman year and fell in love with the school. I have seen myself grow as a person and I owe a lot of it to the experiences I have had on campus here.
My Typical Day as a Rowan Student
Mondays are typically my busiest days. In the morning, I unfortunately have to wake up around 7:30 a.m. and get ready for my field experience (student teaching.) I am not a morning person so I have about 19 alarms set to ensure I actually get up. I check my emails and social media, because despite being an elementary education major, I also do a lot of the public relations components for one of my jobs. Once I leave I will stop and grab coffee (if I am not late and recently got a paycheck) on my way to my field experience.
I am going after my Teachers of Students with Disabilities endorsement, so I am currently placed in a fourth grade special needs classroom. I spend between four and five hours at the school working with my students and then I head home. Even though it is truthfully exhausting, the classroom I am currently placed in has some of the sweetest students so Mondays don’t seem so bad after being with them.
If I am lucky, I can sneak in a nap. If napping was a major at Rowan, I would graduate 
summa cum laude for sure. I set another 45 alarms on my phone to make sure I get up from my nap, because at 3:30 p.m. I tutor in the Reading Clinic in James Hall. The tutoring is my final step in getting my Literacy Studies degree and Reading endorsement. I work with a little girl for two hours a week and help her build confidence and skills in English Language Arts. I tutor from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then I have a little break before work.
I am going to be completely honest with this part, some days I go for a run. I started running in the summer during my time on campus as a PROS member. Running is exhausting and I am really terrible at it, but being able to put on music and clear my head rocks. If the Glassboro weather allows, I will go on a run and try to do one or two miles. I can’t pretend like I do this all the time, but on good days it happens. Mondays I will run from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. , or until I am about to pass out, because like I said before, I’m terrible at it, and then I will go home and get changed for work.
I work from 6:00 p.m. to closing on Mondays at Rockin’ Jump. Being an assistant manager means that I am in charge of a large staff, have to deal with grumpy customers, have the pleasure of dealing with lovely customers, and just make sure the evening shift runs smoothly. I love working with kids and talking to people, so this job is just another fulfilling thing for me to add to my list. The kids I see at work are always so excited and ready to have fun and I love that I am a part of that.
After work, I finally can come home and relax. Depending on the Monday I can be found watching The Bachelor with my sorority sisters, finishing up online homework, or watching beauty guru videos on YouTube. My roommates and I will hang out together or meet up with other friends and grab food somewhere near campus. The sorority has helped me meet some of my favorite people on this campus. In Greek life you become close with your sisters, sisters in other organizations, and men in the fraternities. I am never bored when I am surrounded by the friends and family I have made in my Greek relations.
We are #RowanPROUD and we are Rowan Profs! Not exactly sure what a Prof is? It’s our owl mascot, Whoo RU. Read about him here.
Story organized and photography by:
Jen Green, senior public relations major