Former student turns helping students into career

By Monica Kreber
kreberm@thejohnsonian.com

Kim Wright `96When she was in college, Winthrop alumna Kim Wright enjoyed helping people. Now, she attributes her successes to her alma mater.

Wright graduated from Winthrop in 1996. She started off as a biology major before switching in her junior year to a psychology major with a minor in biology.

“I initially wanted to be a medical technologist with at least an option to teach,” she said. “I was on that track for a teacher certification.”

Outside of class, Wright worked for Residence Life, serving as an assistant apartment manager in Roddey. She was part of the gospel choir and a member of a student Bible study called Abundant Life. She was also an orientation leader and did work for minority affairs, helping students with disabilities.

“I miss working with the students on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Wright got a job working at Winthrop, but after she graduated she headed to Nashville, Tenn. to work in Student Affairs at Davidson College for one year.

After she finished her program, she went on to graduate school at Vanderbilt University where she got her master’s degree in higher education administration (her master’s came from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University).

She also entered the Christian ministry and is now an ordained elder at Tabernacle of Praise Church International  in York, S.C.

Wright came to work at Winthrop in 2002 and remained until 2009.

“I served as one of the student services directors,” she said. “As a result of that, I miss helping students.”

Although she is no longer directly helping students at Winthrop, Wright said she started traveling yearly.

“I consider myself a missionary,” she said. “I traveled to West Africa and East Africa to help with rebuilding the countries there and administrating in the mission field.”

Wright said she also misses being a student herself at Winthrop. She said one professor she found to be influential was mass communication professor Larry Timbs, who taught her “CISM” class (ACAD in the ‘90s).

“Dr. Timbs was a candid professor,” she said. “He was transparent and he related well to students. He was a great relationship-builder.”

Wright also said she remembers an administrator named Tracey Moore.

“He wasn’t a faculty member,” she said, “but he was instrumental in helping me grow professionally, personally and spiritually,” she said.

Wright is currently a student success coordinator at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., as well as an adjunct faculty member.

“Nothing to do with biology at all,” she said.

Aside from her influential professors, Wright also said she misses the biology curriculum.

“I miss the opportunity to finish my biology degree,” she said. “I genuinely loved the biology curriculum.”

Although her career does not have much to do with biology, Wright said Winthrop still helped her achieve success in other ways.

“Winthrop, the community there, gave me the opportunity to grow professionally and personally,” she said, “and for that I’ll always be grateful.”