Nominee Profile Kilee Pertl Major/Minor: Triple Major: Marketing Management, Business Leadership & Management and Business Communications.

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1 Nominee Profile Kilee Pertl Major/Minor: Triple Major: Marketing Management, Business Leadership & Management and Business Communications. Minor: Communications & Journalism. Leadership: Acting as a leader in the Opus College of Business as follows: inducted as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an honor society for business students, participating in the Business Undergraduate Mentor Program (BUMP) by mentoring two mentees in the Opus College of Business and active involvement in business clubs including PRSSA, Women in Business and AMA. Scholarship: Achieving a triple major with a minor and being inducted in my junior year as a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma, a national scholastic honor society requiring a GPA of 3.75 or higher. Campus Involvement: President of the Volleyball Enthusiasts Club for 3 years and Manager of the Men s Volleyball Club for 4 years. Leadership : Fall 2014 London Business Semester Participant. Upon returning, interviewed and selected as a Study Abroad Orientation Leader for the academic year. Scholarship : Has placed a high importance on scholarship and as a result has been on the Dean s List, GPA of 3.50 or higher, every semester at St. Thomas (Fall Present).

2 Kilee was one of 44 students selected to participate in of the University of St Thomas London Business Semester (LBS) program during Fall 2014, which I directed. Not all student applications are accepted. The LBS program consists of the students taking four courses that fulfill requirements in their academic program, while also completing 40 hours of community service. Students live with a British family during the more than three months they are in London, which enriches their cultural experience. As part of the program, the students and I made a four-day group trips to France and Scotland, plus short visits to local sites, such as Cambridge and Canterbury. My recommendation for Kilee comes with the added insights gained from the time spent with her over the duration of the LBS program. It has been said that if you want to know someone, travel with her. That said, I know Kilee. Academic Performance Throughout her time abroad, Kilee was focused on doing well in her course work while fully embracing the cultural opportunities that London and Europe provide. She managed the challenges of foreign travel and different cultures, balanced group versus individual needs, and was conscientious regarding her responsibilities. Kilee is an excellent team-player, always ready to contribute more than her fair share to ensure the success of her team. She willingly steps up to take on tasks and the leadership of group activities. Kilee is exceedingly well disciplined and focused on succeeding, both academically and in her personal growth. She is able to communicate clearly and is conscientious regarding her responsibilities. Kilee is an intelligent, reliable, and engaging student who is easy to work with. Kilee s academic performance is especially impressive as she has chosen to pursue three academic majors, plus a minor and excelled in all three programs. Kilee could have chosen to take an easier path to graduation, but she set her bar high and has consistently cleared it. Over my nearly 40 years teaching at UST, Kilee stands out as one of a handful of students who have pushed themselves far beyond program requirements and then surpassed in the goals they set for themselves. Campus Activities Besides Kilee's academic performance, she has been actively engaged in UST campus activities, including a number of University clubs and organizations. These activities include serving as the President of the UST Volleyball Enthusiasts Club and as the Manager for the UST Men s Volleyball Club. Kilee s roles in these activities should not be under-emphasized. Being passive is antithetical to Kilee s demeanor. When she joins an organization or activity of any kind, Kilee makes a 120% commitment to move the group forward to accomplishing its intended purpose/goals. Kilee s energy is unbounded and focused on either leading by example or providing support for the existing leadership. Personal Integrity Perhaps Kilee s most impressive characteristic is her willingness to place the happiness and success of others above her personal goals. This is best represented by her decision to focus on the mental and physical health of her roommate (Alex) in the LBS program. When Alex incurred a very serious blood infection which resulted in a six day stay in the hospital, Kilee had no hesitation in making her roommate her highest priority. Kilee was at the hospital entertaining Alex over the duration of those six-days, arriving before and staying after the posted visiting hours. Alex s situation was so severe that she now has a British NHS (National Health Service) card, a rarity for a non-citizen of the UK. Kilee willingly sacrificed her personal goals to support Alex s mental health as she dealt with the challenges of a very different medical system while far away from home and her family. I could cite other examples where Kilee placed the welfare of her student colleagues above her personal goals,

3 but this situation best exemplifies her character and how Kilee s behavior demonstrates her as the epitome of what constitutes a Tommie. Philip H. Anderson Relationship to Nominee: Advisor, Professor

4 Kilee Pertl displays courage, friendship, perseverance, kindness, leadership, integrity, commitment, and hard work on a daily basis. She deserves the Tommie Award because of her scholarship, leadership, and campus involvement that represent the ideals of St. Thomas Aquinas. Kilee pushes herself and strives to be the best in every aspect of her life and that is displayed prominently in her success in school. I have had the privilege to take many classes throughout high school and college with Kilee and she motivates me to do my very best in every one because her desire to learn and understand material from class is contagious. The first couple years of college Kilee was deciding which path she wanted to take in business and communications. Nothing seemed good enough for her to officially decide on, so she decided to triple major in order to create a makeshift Public Relations major to follow her dreams instead of settling for anything less. A physical example of her academic excellence is displayed in her spot on the Dean's List every semester at St. Thomas thus far. It is very easy to understand just how great of a student she is when you see her interactions with professors. It doesn't take long for her professors to know that she puts 100% of her effort into any project, assignment, paper, or exam and it is obvious the respect that her professors have for her because of it. Kilee always takes the initiative on group projects and takes on the leadership role for the group. She puts in as much work as possible in order to provide the best outcome of a project, but her leadership goes far beyond just group projects. She was the head of the school newspaper in high school, captain of volleyball teams growing up, manages and helps coach the Men's Volleyball Club at St. Thomas, and is currently the president of the Women's Volleyball Club. She has taken on these leadership roles at St. Thomas through club sports and classes and has been recognized by being inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa. She is an excellent representation of the leadership that St. Thomas strives to inspire every student to take on. It is evident through her leadership that she is very involved on campus. Kilee has always had a passion for volleyball and she has been able to play and coach in a way that has contributed to campus life at St. Thomas by helping shape the Women's Volleyball Club team and providing the Men's Volleyball Club team with the opportunity to grow that they haven't had in the past. She dedicates a lot of time to both of the club teams, but on top of these commitments she also has maintained a job on campus working at the Business Office since her freshman year, and participates in the Women in Business club, American Marketing Association, and the BUMP program. Kilee also participated in the London Business Semester during the fall of her junior year at St. Thomas. She was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma and Delta Epsilon Sigma as a junior based on merit Kilee is the most dedicated and passionate classmate, employee, student, friend, and Tommie. Her scholarship, leadership, and campus involvement display the qualities and achievements that St. Thomas seeks to instill in each and every student before they graduate. Katelyn Koehler Relationship to Nominee: Friend and classmate

5 It is a distinct pleasure to nominate Kilee J. Pertl for the University of St. Thomas 2016 Tommie Award. There are few students that can match Kilee's leadership, achievements, and contributions to the University of St. Thomas and its Class of Kilee has personally excelled and led numerous others to do likewise while at UST. Classroom: Kilee, through a wide variety of curriculum items, independent research, and personal experiences, demonstrated excellence in a variety of areas, including: a) in classes I have taught, Kilee has helped other student s gain a sense of the relationship of business and leadership decisions analyzed from the viewpoint of differing cultural perspectives and significantly aided cohort members ability to ask penetrating why questions; b) other professors and staff have noted that Kilee has taken advantage of many opportunities to grow and develop as a person and as a leader including the Study Abroad program; and c) as a Triple Business Management/ Communications / Marketing Major, Kilee has maintain a high level of academic excellence (GPA: 3.82) while actively involved in our wider communities. UST Campus Involvement: Kilee is interested in making a difference, as well as successfully contributing and leading at the highest levels within several established organizations. Kilee has been President and Financial Chairperson for UST s Volleyball Enthusiasts Club, Manager of UST Men s Volleyball Club, and enthusiastically participated in several Honor Societies as well as career and professional clubs. Larger Community: Over the past two years, as an Intern for three differing organizations in addition to working as a Lead Business Office Assistant in the UST Business Office, Kilee continually has inspired teammates to positively contribute to the organizations success. Kilee s impressive resume does not adequately illustrate Kilee s high integrity and character, two traits that perhaps are also embodied with other nominees. However as noted, Kilee is a person who genuinely cares about making a difference for others and the manner in which she leads and communicates are infectious. As a result of Kilee s actions I have personally witnessed student s question, "What am I doing to better our campus, our clubs (volleyball), or our community?" As the namesake of this university, Saint Thomas Aquinas was a noted educator; Kilee Pertl is both a teacher and kindhearted leader! Kilee has demonstrated significant personal growth and professional development at UST through intellectual curiosity, excellent interpersonal skills, hard work and determination couple with an appropriate sense of balance and humor she represents the best of what it means to be a Tommie! K. David Hirschey Relationship to Nominee: Adjunct Professor