Student Linda Epley finds inspiration at Power of Women luncheon

Linda Epley is a junior at Southeast Missouri State University and was recently named one of three recipients of the Power of Women Scholarship, alongside Molly Eggleston and Jordan Cavitt. Epley was honored on March 12 at the annual Power for Women luncheon hosted by the university. Students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and who have completed at least 30 credit hours were elegible for the award. Candidates are chosen for the honor if they demonstrate a passion for community service and university involvement.

Epley is a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma and has held multiple leadership positions including membership recruitment director, sisterhood event planner, ritual chairperson and has been an officer. Epley currently works as a supervisor for the Southeast Telefund and has been a volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, as well as being a lifelong member. Epley has volunteered through the Humane Society, the American Red Cross and the Robbie Page Memorial with her sorority.

Q: When and how did you find out about this scholarship?

A: Actually, my boss told me about the luncheon last spring. So I went to that and then, I guess, maybe October, there was an email sent out by Trudy Lee, she's in charge of the planned giving for the university. She said that they had a donation that had come across the university that was going to provide a scholarship for people that went to the luncheon to kind of raise awareness about it. So I applied in November and they made a decision by December before finals. And then they got working on the video for the luncheon and we went to the luncheon again, and it was a lot of fun.

Q: What made you want to apply for this scholarship?

A: I wasn't really sure what it was about to be totally honest. I went to the luncheon last year, and it just seemed like really basic. There was an expo beforehand to meet inspirational women in the Cape Girardeau area, and I think a couple businesses from St. Louis came down just to kind of get their name out there. It's a networking thing at the beginning and then you have lunch and they had a keynote speaker. Last year was Kala Stroup, she was the first female president of the university. But she was unable to make it, so it was kind of cut short, I guess. But it was all about inspiring women to be the best they could be, and I think last year they celebrated Title IX.

This year was more about doing what you can with what you have and being a better person than who you are now. We had Cynthia Fleck, she came and spoke to us as the keynote speaker. She does a lot with nursing worldwide. She's a really inspirational lady. She was really cool. I guess to apply, scholarship money is always nice. It cuts down your tuition costs and everything. I applied because I went and my boss recommended it, so I thought it would be a really good idea to apply.

Q: What have you done to get to this point?

A: I did a lot of community service in high school, so I wanted to get involved on campus as soon as I got here. Before I even started school, I guess, I was job hunting for things in the Cape area. I ended up working for the Southeast Telefund, and I've been there for three years now and I was recently moved to supervising positions, so that's super exciting. But I think just building relationships with people on campus, and I got involved with a Greek organization so that's a lot of fun. But it's just all about networking I think and meeting who you can while you're here so you can build those relationships and be better in the future.

Q: What has been your hardest challenge so far to get to this point?

A: I guess figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life because they throw you into college at, like, 18, and they're like "Figure out what you want to do forever." I've been through two major changes so I've finally decided on hospitality, but it took a little bit of thinking to get there and a lot of trial and error. I was the recruitment director for my sorority last year and I really loved the event planning. It was really just eye-opening that you could do that for a career, like they hire people to do that kind of thing, and I was like, "That would be awesome." So I looked into it like a legitimate thing and it led me to hospitality, and I'm really happy about it. I think definitely just like figuring out what you want to do because you're kind of young when you start college and you're not really sure, you know, what you start out with is that really what you want to graduate with. I wanted to be an orthodontist when I started here, so I'm completely at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Q: What was the most meaningful experience you had with the women at the luncheon?

A: They're all very proud of where they're at now in their lives, and they're satisfied with what they've accomplished, but they're also looking to accomplish more things in their lives. For individual women, Cynthia Fleck, she's very outgoing and she's very into philanthropy and giving back and that's kind of what I would aspire to do, just keep giving back to the community because they've given me so much. So it would be nice to eventually be able to give back in more ways than just service.

I think there were a couple of university teachers there, they were really nice. I had Dr. Caroline Kahler for art my freshman year, it was a UI100 class and she has made a point to stay in contact with me since that class and I see her every year at the luncheon and she's just a really inspirational lady. She's just got a lot of great stories and she's held like every job you could possibly have, so she's got a lot of experience to pass on to her students and I think that's really something to look up to as well.

Q: What was your favorite part of the award presentation ceremony?

A: It was just like they kind of called your name and you walked across the stage. I got to shake Cynthia Fleck's hand. It wasn't like we even did anything to get the award. Being able to be in a room full of so many inspirational people to have that sense of community around you and knowing that they're going to support you in whatever you decide to do. Just having that support system there.

Q: Why do you think it's important to apply for these types of scholarships?

A: Because people don't always know that they exist. There's a lot of money out there for students that we don't always know about, and I think things like this, like I wouldn't have known about the luncheon had my boss not mentioned it to me. But I think that if you just look for things like this -- there's a lot you can do to help yourself in college, and I think scholarships are always nice. It's funny what you can get yourself into and how there's things you can win by going. It's less money that you have to put toward your education from your own pocket. I don't know how most students are, but I'm paying half and half with my parents, but that half is coming out of my money, and that's a lot of money. It's nice that the scholarships are going to lower what I have to pay back in the future. I think everybody should apply for a scholarship.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: I would like to go back to St. Louis or maybe Kansas City, somewhere northeast. I don't really know where I want to go, but I want to event plan, either corporate or weddings and such. I watched a news story on the Today Show about this lady who plans proposals for those lazy men who don't want to do it. So they just hire her to plan these dream proposals. I was like, "That would be kind of fun." So something like that, I guess, I would like to do more of the fun events. But I guess if I have to start corporate that would be fine, too. But I'd like to work for a bigger hotel corporation, I think, to start -- maybe the Marriott or the Ritz or something.