Aaron Tucker Theatre Megan Valentine History Kirvyn Vargas International Business Anadeli Vasquez Accounting Adrian Villalobos Elect. Engineering Brenda Villela Biology Jonathan Waddell Soc. Sci -Tchr Lie. Kathleen Wade Biology Jennifer Wagner Biochem & Malec. Bio. Claire Walker Exercise Science .. ~.!\! ~ ' . j ' . " I love coming home to it every day and walking into tne camper with the feeling of being on a permonont vocation. Trailer parks werefarfromthetypical home of a college student. But in the fall semester of 2010, senior , accounting major Kellie DeAtley changed this stereotype by choosing to spend the semester living in her parents' RV in Thompson Trailer Park right off Market Avenue. An avid camper and fifth year senior, DeAtley had housing plans for the fall which were disrupted the previous April. Instead of scrambling to find a roommate for only one semester, DeAtley decided to live in an RV after her mom casually joked about that being a possibility. DeAtley said her decision was one of convenience and practicality. "I just wanted a comfortable place to live that could suit my needs for the semester," DeAtley said. "I wanted my mom to be able to come down and visit several times during the semester so we could work on plans for my upcoming wedding. Having the RV here for her to stay in versus a dorm room makes her want to visit, stay for a while and enjoy her stay." However, some of DeAtley's other friends had different opinions. "I thought it was a joke," junior Laura Green said. "Kellie is a big joke-teller, so I just assumed this was another one of them. I thought she was absolutely crazy." "Once I processed the information, it actually wasn't that surprising at all," junior Britney Cothran said. "Kellie is definitely the kind of person who could handle a tiny camper all alone in a sketchy trailer park." Safety was a prime concern for DeAtley and her friends and family when she moved into the trailer park. Several caring people from campus, including President David Burks and his wife, Leah, routinely dropped by to check on Kellie. "My dad wasn't too keen on the idea at first, especially when he 72 people dropped me off for school and saw the place where I would be living," DeAtley said. "It can be a sketchy location to someone who isn't familiar with the area." Despite the concerns, DeAtley's love for the outdoors was a characteristic that made the RV perfect for her. "It just fits her personality," DeAtley's fiance and fifth year senior Drew Dell said. "She would tent camp for the rest of her life. She would eat s'mores for dessert every meal. Everything about her portrays her love for camping. Honestly, I believe that it comes from her joy of being in God's creation." Life in a camper as a college student required some ingenuity on DeAtley's part. "Storage is a bit limited," DeAtley said. "However, there are bins all the way around the outside of it that help. The RV does have 2 pop-outs that create space inside. My 'office' is on the dashboard and I sit in the passenger chair to do my homework." Most importantly, DeAtley had a cozy place to call her own. "I love coming"flome to it every day and walking into the camper with the feeling of bein@..pn a permanent vacation," DeAtley said. "All my memories in this ca~per are good ones from the times my family was able to share togettwr.Jraveling all over the U.S." DeAtley considaced living in the camper after she got married if housing options we7'e slim in her future location, but her fiance had other ideas. "I'm just more of a house kind of person," Dell said. Nevertheless, the camper was still the perfect retreat for DeAtley during her last semester. "I couldn't ask for anything more," DeAtley said. Mackenzie Lee
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