WKU News

For Caleb Penick of Campbellsville, Kentucky, the road to psychology and child therapy wasn’t straightforward. “Originally I came into WKU with communication disorders major,” he recalls. “I thought I could work with kids that way, but it was a lot more science than I was comfortable with.”

That realization set him on a new path. A child development course with Dr. Babb in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) sealed the shift. “She was like, you should consider having this as a major so you can get the holistic experience… you need to know how families interact before you can help them.”

Outside the classroom, Caleb’s summers at a therapy camp shaped his calling. “At first I was just an aide, playing games with the kids,” he says. “But watching them grow—seeing kids I met at three years old head into kindergarten—was amazing.”

Later, as an intern, he gained a deeper perspective. “I got to sit in on one-on-one sessions. It was like, ‘okay, yep, you’re in the right place’. This is what you want to do.”

The work also exposed him to challenges. “We’ve had to file CPS reports. Sometimes kids came in with really tough circumstances. At first I thought that would be hard, but I realized, even if it was scary, what I did made a difference.”

Building a Home at WKU

Caleb grew up in a University of Kentucky household, but tours of WKU’s campus changed his mind, and ultimately, the WKU application was the only one he finished.

Coming from a small high school, WKU broadened his world. “In high school I was shy. I didn’t speak out a lot. At WKU, I realized I could yap a little bit, I could be involved.”

Service became a cornerstone of his experience. As a peer success coach, he works with first-generation and Pell-eligible students with the WKU TRIO program. “I meet with students one-on-one and we go over how to succeed in college. It’s affirming to know they’re succeeding in some small part because of me.”

His defining role, however, has been with HonorsToppers, the Mahurin Honors College ambassador organization, where he served as the coordinator of membership for the 2025-2026 academic year. “That has been my definitive college experience. It’s given me my friends, a sense of purpose, and the chance to make a difference in someone’s college decision.” In recognition of his exemplary service and dedication, he was recently honored with the MHC Leader of the Year Award.

Honors and Academic Growth

While Caleb hasn’t pursued a thesis pathway available in the MHC curriculum, he has leaned into augmentations and research. He is working on a paper on play in child development with a team of peers, with goals of publication, and has presented aspects of this research at WKU’s Student Scholar Showcase.

Honors colloquia expanded his love for literature. “My colloquiums have nothing to do with my major, and I love it. They’ve really developed my discussion skills. Now I can explain why I like a book, not just that I like it.”

Looking Ahead

Caleb’s next step is graduate school. “Grad school is definitely needed to do what I want to do—to be a child therapist. WKU has a great play therapy certification, and I’m also applying to Boston University’s program in child and adolescent counseling.”

Long-term, he envisions a career focused on helping children open up. “My goal is to be the one that the child talks to—to make them feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable and work through those tough subjects.”

And his advice for new students? “Please, please, please get over involved your first semester. Then narrow down and put your heart into those things, and they’ll give back to you.”