WKU News

When Emma Thorn stepped onto WKU's campus during a college road trip her junior year of high school, something clicked. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and her tour guide—a Marshall County alumna she'd admired from afar—showed her around a campus that felt less like an institution and more like a community.

"It really just felt like all the staff here and all the students—it felt more like a family, rather than me just being seen as a number," Emma recalls.

That feeling was enough to convince the Benton, Kentucky native to leave her original plan of staying close to home and take a chance on the Hill. Four years later, as a senior biochemistry major with a pre-pharmacy concentration, Emma says that decision has been one of the best she's ever made.

From Hermit to Leader

Emma admits she wasn't the most outgoing person when she arrived at WKU. "I was not the most talkative person in high school. I didn't really go out of my comfort zone and try new things," she says. But the Mahurin Honors College and campus organizations helped her emerge from her shell.

Today, Emma serves on the executive board for HonorsToppers and Dance Big Red, a student-led dance marathon benefiting Norton Children's Hospital. She's a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and conducts undergraduate research in the biology department, working with yeast cells for her honors thesis.

The transformation wasn't always easy. Emma learned about burnout firsthand during her freshman year when she tried to do too much at once. "You kind of have to make time for yourself, and you can't neglect things that you've committed to," she reflects. "If you commit to something, you have to fully pour yourself into it."

That lesson shaped her approach to involvement. Instead of spreading herself thin, Emma focused on organizations where she could make a real impact and the payoff has been significant.

"The more that you put into this incredible program and HonorsToppers as an organization, whatever you pour into it, you really get back out," she says.

Finding Her People

For Emma, one of the most rewarding aspects of the Mahurin Honors College has been the diversity of perspectives she's encountered. "You aren't just confined to like your major friends," she explains. "You get to meet all these different people with so many different interests and majors and backgrounds. That has definitely been something that I'm going to take with me forever."

Her involvement with Dance Big Red taught her empathy and showed her the power of working toward a shared goal. "It showed me so much empathy and really taught me so much hard work to be able to fundraise for such a great cause," Emma says. Greek life, which she hadn't initially planned to pursue, became another source of connection and growth. A sorority sister convinced her to apply for the Dance Big Red executive board, opening new opportunities for leadership.

Even her research experience, working with yeast cells in Dr. Joseph Marquardt’s biology lab, has given her insight into herself and her future career. Though the work is complex, Emma appreciates how it connects to real-world applications in medicine and pharmacy.

Moving Forward

This summer, Emma will begin a four-year pharmacy program at the University of Tennessee. She chose UT after touring several schools, looking for the same feeling she had when she first visited WKU—and she found it.

"Your eyes lit up, and you were so excited, just like you were after leaving your tour for Western," her parents told her after the visit. That gut feeling, combined with the welcoming atmosphere and strong program, made the decision clear.

Her advice to incoming students? Take the leap.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," Emma says. "Really just immerse yourself into Western, and if you don't like something, you can quit. Or if you think it's not right for you at the time, just delay it and try again later. It's just trial and error."

She encourages students to be selective but committed. "You really just need to pick your core things that you know that you can devote as much time as you possibly can to, and you just need to pour yourself fully into it and take advantage of everything that's handed to you."

As Emma prepares to graduate and move to Tennessee, she's grateful for the connections she's made, the lessons she's learned, and the family that supported her every step of the way—both at home in Benton and here on the Hill.

"The friends that I've made are some that'll last a lifetime," she says. "I'm so grateful for all of that."