Theme Music (00:01):

Please listen carefully.

Taylor Pardue (00:01):

Welcome to the NC State Philanthropy Podcast, telling the world how we Think and Do through the support of our friends, alumni and more. I’m your host, Taylor Pardue.

(00:18):

On this episode, we’re joined by Kerri Fowler, executive director of Parents and Families Services, to learn how it helps strengthen and support the Wolfpack community.

(00:31):

Thanks so much for joining us today, Kerri. To kick things off, just tell listeners a little bit about yourself and what first brought you to NC State.

Kerri Fowler (00:51):

Yeah, well, my name is Kerri Fowler, and I’m the executive director of Parents and Families Services here. I’ve been with NC State since 2012. I’m originally from Vermont, and so, my family relocated down here July of 2012, and I started in December. And so, we love being in North Carolina, and I wasn’t really familiar with the Wolfpack beforehand, but we certainly run with the Pack now.

Taylor Pardue (01:12):

That’s great. Definitely a change, I’m sure, from Vermont. As of this recording, we’re going into a, seems like it’s going to be a cold winter, but, yeah, I guess that feels like …

Kerri Fowler (01:20):

“Cold” is a relative term, for sure. I love winters in North Carolina. I don’t mind a random bit of snow for a little while and then it goes away. Pre-pandemic, I appreciated it a little bit more because the world actually did take a snow day, and those don’t exist anymore with virtual work and Zoom and all of that.

Taylor Pardue (01:41):

Very true.

Kerri Fowler (01:41):

Things don’t shut down in Raleigh as much as they did in 2012, but those were good snow days.

Taylor Pardue (01:47):

Absolutely.

Kerri Fowler (01:47):

Yeah.

Taylor Pardue (01:50):

So, did you, when you first started, have you been with Parents and Families Services the entire time?

Kerri Fowler (01:53):

I have.

Taylor Pardue (01:53):

You have, OK.

Kerri Fowler (01:54):

Yep. Yep, I have a background in …

Taylor Pardue (01:54):

Talk a little bit about that journey.

Kerri Fowler (01:58):

My educational background is in counseling and organizational management, and I’ve always worked in higher ed in some capacity. I mean, you don’t usually go to undergrad to work in higher ed, right? You fall into it, those of us that love it, and so, I graduated and never left college, so that was great. Started in admissions, did a little bit of research for a while and then, when I came back down here, I knew that I wanted to kind of marry everything together. I loved working with families in a counseling capacity, and I love higher ed, and this job, nothing like this existed at the time in Vermont, at least where the universities that I was a part of.

(02:39):

There wasn’t a dedicated parent or family program, and so, when I saw that this was an opportunity, it seemed like a perfect fit, to be completely honest. Not to sound trite or anything, but it does really marry all of my interests, my backgrounds. I get to work with students, but there’s something really special about working with families, and NC State has a long-standing history. We have a very well-respected national model that was here long before me and, hopefully, will continue. We have a culture on this campus that embraces families. It’s just one of the many, many things that makes NC State special.

Taylor Pardue (03:16):

I say it, seems like now just about every episode, but we talk about the Wolfpack and it sounds great as an athletic mascot, but we really do embody it here at the university and from just the campus community going out from that, especially parents and families.

Kerri Fowler (03:31):

We absolutely do, and I think that’s something that, I know families have said to me, that kind of takes them by surprise a little bit. Because it’s one thing to say that we embrace families, but it’s another thing to really, truly walk that path, and from the partnerships that we have with [University] Communications, [University] Special Events [and Experiences], like, yes, I think we’re probably known, or at least we used to be known, for Family Weekend first and foremost, and that is a big piece of what we do, but we do so much more than that. Our support programs, our resources, our communications.

(04:01):

I would actually say that our communications are probably what we do more than anything else. And so, when our families come up to us and acknowledge the work that we’re doing, or “I read every newsletter,” or, “I recognized you from the Facebook Live,” and that’s always a little daunting. I’m not really sure where they’re going after that statement, but it’s reassuring and it’s exciting and it makes our families build a sense of their own community, and there’s trust there. And when the families feel that way, the students feel that way, and I think that is one of the many, many reasons that it lends to student success.

Taylor Pardue (04:37):

Well, that is a great starting point because, I think a lot of times when people hear of “Parents and Families Services,” it sounds self-explanatory, but what all goes into this? You’ve already mentioned there are several different areas, several different ways that you do connect with these groups.

Kerri Fowler (04:51):

We do. So, NC State, we acknowledge that families are a part of the process from the very beginning. So, I think, historically, if you look at different family programs, there’s the idea that it’s a part of parent orientation, and that’s kind of the most common place that you see our programs. And some of them still exist there, and there’s certainly a place for them. We work very closely with new student programs, but at NC State, we’re housed in Enrollment Management [and Services], which means we have a very close relationship with Undergraduate Admissions. So, we have a set of communications that go out from the moment that the student is accepted and we begin to communicate and build that relationship with families.

(05:29):

So, it’s kind of like a thread. They see us, they hear from us and then we fully embrace them once their student comes to campus. So, they hear from us after their student gets accepted and then we send a series of emails. Last year, Undergraduate Admissions did a video where it was targeted for families, which is exciting. And then they see us on Facebook Live getting them ready for orientation, and then they see us on Facebook Live getting them ready for move in, because all of this information is going to their student, right? And in theory, their student is telling them, but things fall through the cracks and everyone is busy and the student has plenty of stressors going. So, for us, it’s that cycle, that full circle. We’re making it a 360 support.

(06:16):

And so, then, once their student comes to campus, they hear from us at orientation, and then that’s when we fully embrace them and say, “OK, so, when your student decided to run with the Pack, you did, too. You are here, and all of these resources and offices are here for your student, and we have this full scaffolding to help your student be successful, and we have our office to help you be successful. We give you a single starting point, and no matter your question, big or small, whether you’re having a concern, whether, you know, just random thought, you can call our office.” And we have a small but mighty team: We have three full-time professionals, and then we have a student staff, and we are dedicated to customer service, family service.

(07:01):

We want to make sure that we are, we only want to transfer once if we have to transfer. We want to make sure that we’re getting them all of the resources that they need. We can’t answer questions on behalf of our partners, by any means, but we can get you to the right place. And then, in return, our partners help us by using our newsletters. We have a conversation calendar that gives families talking points every month to check in with their student, which is one of my favorite resources that we offer, but they use our communications to then feed information back into the families in the same way that we have. And so, it’s become a wonderful conduit for our university and families.

Taylor Pardue (07:38):

I think that’s great, too. You mentioned “families” …

Kerri Fowler (07:41):

Yeah.

Taylor Pardue (07:42):

… and it’s not just necessarily biological parents. It really is that — it’s bringing their “wolfpack” into our larger Wolfpack, and I just love how that, like you said, it gives them something to talk to their students about. It is not just you talking to the student or you talking to the parents or the families. It’s getting everybody to talk and be on the same page. So, I think that’s got to be incredibly helpful throughout the college experience but, like you said, especially when a student is starting that first academic year. That’s a busy time for everyone.

Kerri Fowler (08:09):

It absolutely is. There’s just so much emotion and stress on everyone, right? And it does thread every single year, because each year, you have a new level of independence, a new level of challenges. We all know that higher ed is not a straight line, and part of our role, whether you’re working with students or families, is to help them understand and accept and be OK with the bends and the turns in the process. Thank you for noting that. It is beyond that biological, textbook definition of “parent” because we have, we are very intentional. So much so that our website will actually redirect. It’s, I like to promote families.ncsu.edu, but it will direct back to parents.ncsu.edu. That’s always been the web, but for us, a family is defined by the student.

(08:57):

You get to pick your family, just like you got to pick your Wolfpack. So, it can be anybody. It can be the neighbor who helped always be there for you that you see as a second mom. You want to put them on your support and let them get our communications? Great. It can be a big brother who maybe was there for you, not necessarily a parent. It can be anybody. It’s anyone who is dedicated to that individual student’s success. So, everything we do is open to all of them, whether it’s a parent, a family member, grandparent, a sibling, a partner, a spouse, a child. Because when we’re looking at undergraduate students, it is not just a traditional …

Taylor Pardue (09:35):

That’s a great point.

Kerri Fowler (09:36):

… 18-year-old. One very cool thing we get to do every year that’s been long-standing is we have a Family of the Year, and I could be getting this wrong, it was either 2018 or 2019, our Family of the Year was actually a transfer family, and it was a woman who nominated her husband and her children. And I think that that’s so important to remember, that when we are saying that we embrace all of our families and we support all of the families, that we do in whatever that looks like.

Taylor Pardue (10:03):

Yeah, that’s an excellent point. Not to share names or anything like that, but what are some examples of just heartwarming stories that you’ve had over the years with this role and …

Kerri Fowler (10:12):

Listen, I love my job. I love my job. After the pandemic, I hug my desk when I come back from …

Taylor Pardue (10:21):

Oh, my goodness.

Kerri Fowler (10:21):

I love what I do, and there have been some really, really tough days, but I work with amazing people here at NC State, and our families are all so warm and grateful. And if you can take the perspective that, at the end of the day, because you can hear all you want in the media about families and all of the nomenclature, all the things that are out there about parents of college students and all of that. Take that aside and recognize that that individual is simply someone who cares about somebody. That’s truly the root of it, right? They maybe called because they’re stressed, because they’re worried about their student, because that is somebody whom they love and they care for and they just want to know that they’re OK, that they’re going to be OK, and they’re trying to help.

(11:09):

Now, does the way that they help evolve over time? It certainly does, and that’s something that we tell them, right? We’re nurturing an evolving relationship between you and your student over the next four years because, just like they won’t graduate the same person they came in, you’re not going to have the same relationship as you do right now. So, what can that look like, and how can we grow together in that? But, to answer your question, I mean, I have received beautiful sentiments from families just saying thank you. I love when they recognize my team, my staff, anytime that they can say, “I know Valerie. She always answers the helpline,” or, “She does this,” or, “I remember her from the panel.” Just the fact that they know what we do and that there’s that level of appreciation there — even when it’s hard, even when it’s hard. I will say that, I think sometimes the ones that kind of just stick with me right here, kind of always walk with me, are the ones that are struggling.

(12:10):

And then we can turn that conversation into something really positive where we have helped them walk through some hard stuff. But then, on the other side of that, that’s where you meet that grace and that gratitude and that appreciation, and then you see their student thrive and you see them thrive because they’re just looking for that peace of mind. And so, it’s those parents that I really do kind of, it reminds me why I do what I do. But I also think, and I’m going to take this as an opportunity to segue into one of the reasons we’re here, which are the cheer kits, because the cheer kits have evolved over time, and we can talk about the history of it, but one of my favorite things is that our students will immediately send us letters and emails because they’re not expecting these cheer kits.

Taylor Pardue (12:55):

Oh so it is a total surprise.

Kerri Fowler (12:56):

It is. Even if they know about it, they may not realize it’s going to be for them or things like that. And so, the day that these were handed out — Fire and Life Safety helps us with this — I started getting emails. “I don’t know who you are, but this means so much. Thank you.” And when we can really warm a student in that way, when it’s so unexpected, they didn’t do anything to, they don’t feel like they did anything for it. So, I just think that that gratitude is, it just keeps you going.

Taylor Pardue (13:27):

Yeah, perfect segue. Go ahead and talk about the history and, really, what are these cheer kits, if listeners don’t already know?

Kerri Fowler (13:34):

They’re so cool. So, cheer kits started, it was kind of a happy accident after we came back from the pandemic and many of the programs that were on campus to support isolation housing and things like that, things were starting to kind of sunset. But we had all of these resources in our office for things that had come together for students, faculty, staff, anybody who had been in IQ housing or something like that, and donations that had come in and things of that nature. And so, we had supplies for care packages, and we were heading into winter break, and I thought, “I don’t know what we’re going to do with all of this.” And care packages can be kind of tricky. At that time — I could be wrong on this; I don’t work in housing — there used to be a fundraiser that a student group did for care packages. And so, that was always separate.

(14:27):

So, we actually don’t have a designated care package program through our office. We don’t offer anything like that, but we had all of these supplies. And so, I reached out to housing — fantastic partner of Parents and Families Services — and said, “What could we do with these?” And we just started brainstorming, and we thought, well, there’s this group of students who stay on campus over winter break for whatever the reason, whether they’re working or maybe they don’t have a place to go, maybe they don’t have the funds to travel. For whatever the reason, they are staying here over winter break while the rest of us shut down and shut off and shut out. We get to turn things off. And so, I said, “Well, let’s see what the list is. Like, how many are we talking and the supplies and all of that.”

(15:11):

And so, from there, it just started to grow. In the first year we did it, we had these supplies, and we had the bags. So, they were actual bags, and housing helped us. They gave us the list, we packaged the bags, we put little notes in them and then they put the bags on the doors of the students who were here. And it worked, and it was great. And so, I said, “Well, this is a great effort. This is such a low-hanging fruit for us. Let’s do this.” Everyone wants those feel-good things to do around the holidays anyways, so, we went back to them last year and said, “Let’s do it again. Do you want to do it again?” And they said, “Yes, absolutely.”

(15:42):

We got together with Fire and Life Safety, and they were willing to help us because they are distributed the week after commencement before kind of that lull where everyone’s moved out and it’s really just those students on campus and then faculty and staff who are still here working during that time. And so, they said, “Yeah, we can do that.” And so, last year, we had boxes, and we made it more of a coordinated effort. So, it’s kind of grown. This is now our third year, and we were placing donation bins across campus, which worked, but then somebody was like, “Do you have an Amazon wish list?”

Taylor Pardue (16:20):

Oh, sure.

Kerri Fowler (16:20):

It’s a fantastic idea. We don’t; let’s get on that. So, then we created an Amazon wish list, and that really hit home with our families across the nation.

Taylor Pardue (16:29):

Absolutely.

Kerri Fowler (16:29):

Because, now, they can support this effort. They don’t have to be nearby. And then we have a group of families. So, we do have different programs for families to be engaged with our office. So, we have family ambassadors, which are volunteers, and then we have a regional program. And so, we have local regions as well where families want to help volunteer, get involved in any way they can, host watch parties, whatever it is that they’re looking to do to build their community.

(16:53):

So, we reached out to our family ambassadors and said, “Hey, do you want to help us build these boxes?” And they came in, they did it very quickly, and we underestimated — which, never underestimate an NC State family. Let me just say that the power of the Pack is real, and many hands make for light work. And we knocked those boxes out, and they got distributed. I want to say there was about 100, 150.

(17:18):

We don’t know yet this year how many; the students are still applying to live on campus, so we’re not quite sure what that’ll be, but it’s a much more formal process this year, where we opened it earlier, we’ve got the Amazon wish list. Now we’ve done this three times. This will be our third time. So, now we kind of know what we’re looking at, what needs to be done, what the process is, which is great because, when you can formalize something like that, it begins to have some sustainability and some long-term growth there, which is great.

(17:46):

And there’s just nothing better than that. And that’s, to me, what the holidays, that perpetual hope and that bit of unexpected surprise and kindness. And it’s cool, too, because, through the Amazon wish list, it’s not just pantry items and it’s not just items that, you know, maybe fills …

Taylor Pardue (18:06):

Needs, necessarily.

Kerri Fowler (18:06):

… like a, yeah. There are socks and blankets and chargers, or maybe some hot cocoa bombs or just fun things. Nothing that is specific to any religion or anything like that. We do lots of red, though, that’s for sure. But they’re just fun ways to bring some cheer to students who are on campus during that time.

Taylor Pardue (18:32):

I mean, invaluable, even if it was just one student, but when you say 150 last year …

Kerri Fowler (18:37):

Around there, yeah.

Taylor Pardue (18:39):

That is, yeah, when you think of those Pack members, our Pack members staying here on campus and everything to lighten their mood and just really cheer them through that time of year, I think that is just so powerful.

Kerri Fowler (18:50):

Absolutely, because I can’t imagine how many of them just kind of think, “Well, I guess I’ll just do some homework or I’ll study.” All their friends are — not “all,” but maybe the majority of their friends or their own people — are kind of spread out and doom-scrolling on their phones or going to the library. And this just gives them a little bit something different. And to your point, a little bit of a bright spot, which is nice.

Taylor Pardue (19:14):

Yeah, because that’s a great point. Even if it’s not a tough situation — maybe they are just working; you know, just didn’t work out — it’s still, to be on campus kind of by yourself. You know, yeah, just that little something that we can do.

Kerri Fowler (19:27):

Well, as a staff member, right? Like, I really appreciate and value that NC State gives us that time.

Taylor Pardue (19:33):

That’s true.

Kerri Fowler (19:34):

And not only that, but the entire university shuts down in such a way that I’m not worried about missing emails, I’m not worried about missing meetings, and it’s such a good break for us all. But I think how isolating it must feel — and not to feel “for” them, you know?

Taylor Pardue (19:54):

Sure.

Kerri Fowler (19:54):

Especially for some who may be working, and that’s great for them…

Taylor Pardue (19:56):

Yeah, maybe it’s not necessarily a tough situation.

Kerri Fowler (19:58):

.. but it’s a different feeling to be on campus during that time.

Taylor Pardue (20:01):

Still, yeah, even under the best circumstances.

Kerri Fowler (20:03):

Even under the best of circumstances.

Taylor Pardue (20:05):

I think that is a positive that came out of COVID, you were talking about the pandemic earlier, is, now — there’s always more we could do, but I think, by and large, people are more cognizant of each other like that and isolation and things like that, and just ways that we can rally around them. I really like that.

Kerri Fowler (20:23):

Absolutely. I think we have seen the conversation around mental health become much more loud, which is great. And I think it’s important that we do take care of one another just as a humanity, but we’re really good at doing that here at NC State.

Taylor Pardue (20:40):

Yeah, it comes naturally for us.

Kerri Fowler (20:42):

It does. It comes naturally for us all, and to see that our families feel the same way, and with the cheer kits, the Amazon link. We do still have two distribution bins set up, but because we are a small but mighty team, it’s just much easier to do it this way. But anyone can participate, so our faculty can, our staff can, other students can. It’s not just for families. It is truly a full Wolfpack effort, which is great.

Taylor Pardue (21:07):

Well, you mentioned that, I believe, this is your third year and that you had opened registration, participation earlier this year.

Kerri Fowler (21:17):

We did.

Taylor Pardue (21:18):

As of this recording — this is mid-November, hoping to come out in the next few days with this episode — what deadlines should people keep, or should listeners keep in mind and you would like to let them know about that way they can participate maybe?

Kerri Fowler (21:30):

Yeah, absolutely. So, we are asking that all of our deliveries get to us by Monday, Dec. 1.

Taylor Pardue (21:38):

Dec. 1.

Kerri Fowler (21:38):

That just gives us plenty of, that gives us 48 hours, because we’re going to pack these on Reading Day, which is Dec. 3, and that gives us enough time to really see what we have and what we need. And so, like I said, we do have the distribution bin set up at the Joyner Visitor Center, which is open; the public can — there’s free parking over there. You can come and drop some items off, for sure. And then in Harris Hall, which is a great spot for students, staff and faculty. But in terms of our Amazon wish list, which I will say is probably where we’re getting the majority of our items, we’re just asking that if people can be mindful to have those items delivered to us as best they can by Dec. 1.

Taylor Pardue (22:15):

Sounds great.

Kerri Fowler (22:16):

Anything that is delivered to us after, if it is a non-perishable or something like that, we’ll go to Feed the Pack food pantry. So, it’ll still go back into the students and into the community, but we can’t guarantee that it’ll make it into the boxes.

Taylor Pardue (22:29):

Understood. Yeah, sounds great.

Kerri Fowler (22:32):

Yeah.

Taylor Pardue (22:32):

So, obviously, there’s a timely and a very specific way that philanthropy plays a part in your office. What are some other ways that people can get involved maybe in a more year-round way? Maybe if they hear this episode after that deadline, whenever they may get around to listening to their podcasts. What’s another way that they can, or what are some other ways that they can participate with Parents and Families Services?

Kerri Fowler (22:56):

So, I mentioned earlier that we have our Family Ambassador program, which is a volunteer program, and they are instrumental in helping us execute our big events. So, we have Parents and Families Weekend, obviously Spring Fling, which is our spring family weekend. We’re always looking for volunteers to help us with that. We have panels that we host during Experience NC State and some of the college-specific days when it’s appropriate, things like that. But we also, we accept, we try to support all of the initiatives on campus.

(23:29):

So, anytime that we have a big event, whether it’s a First in the Pack event for our first-generation families, we’re always accepting food donations for Feed the Pack and then gently used professional clothing for Styled For Success. So, while you can absolutely drop those off, and you should at those places, those are things that we are consistently supporting throughout the year. We get to do some really fun stuff as well in terms of service. So, during Family Weekend, we have a bingo event this year [that] supported the Student Emergency Fund. We also do a fun run during Spring Fling.

Taylor Pardue (24:07):

Oh, wow.

Kerri Fowler (24:08):

Yeah. So, that one, obviously, it’s fun-run or -walk, whichever you would like, and it’s around Lake Raleigh. So, that’s another opportunity. I’ll also just take a moment to share: I got to be a part of a really cool — we got to be a part of a really cool event this past semester with ECU (East Carolina University). So, we did a House Divided initiative to kick off, because our home [football] opener was NC State and ECU, right?

Taylor Pardue (24:32):

Yep.

Kerri Fowler (24:33):

And so, we sold T-shirts. It was a single-design T-shirt sold through ECU and NC State, and all of the proceeds were divided evenly between App State and UNC-Asheville for Hurricane Helene relief.

Taylor Pardue (24:48):

Perfect.

Kerri Fowler (24:49):

And we raised over $17,000.

Taylor Pardue (24:51):

Oh, wow.

Kerri Fowler (24:52):

So, House Divided with ECU is something that will probably continue with this T-shirt effort whenever you see that rivalry come up, that friendly rivalry come up. So, that’s just another service opportunity in the future.

Taylor Pardue (25:06):

Yeah, I love whenever we can support other UNC System schools. It’s just, Helene is not that far in the past. It’s by no means over, the recovery efforts. So, …

Kerri Fowler (25:15):

It’s absolutely not. And for us, when things like that happen that haven’t impacted us directly here in our area where we see it every single day, it’s very easy to forget, but it is still very much a reality for those families. And many of our Wolfpack families were impacted or know somebody who was impacted or something like that. And so, we’re not that far removed from any of it, and it is important that we share that love and that we do have that type of humanity and kindness and that philanthropic arm that’s so important and that I think NC State absolutely embodies and stands for.

Taylor Pardue (25:51):

Yeah, it’s definitely something we do well here.

Kerri Fowler (25:53):

We do do well.

Taylor Pardue (25:55):

So, if listeners haven’t already become involved with your office before, not necessarily through the philanthropy side, but through the students, through the actual parents and families, how can they find out more information and really get involved? Maybe they’re not an incoming student; maybe they’re already a senior, a junior or something like that, but it’s never too late while they’re still here on campus to get involved. Where would you direct people back for that?

Kerri Fowler (26:15):

Definitely our website. Our website has all of our resources, right? And it’s a dedicated website. It’s not just one page. It is a website with all of the resources for our families, and I do want to highlight that we support all of our families, whether you’re a first year or a senior or a transfer, graduate families, whatever you need, we are here to support them. And so, I would say get started at our website. Call our office. We have a social media presence. We’re on Facebook and Instagram, and there are many a parent Facebook pages, but there’s only one actual NC State Facebook family page, and it is an open page.

(27:01):

We don’t gate keep around it or anything like that. Those other pages are great for community, but in terms of resources and getting the information from campus partners, that is certainly where we would push people to. But our website is absolutely the number one resource for our families. And then if you are a family member just listening today and you haven’t received our communications and you’re not quite sure, if you go into your MyPack Portal — not your student’s, but your own Brickyard account — you can actually opt into communications from our office.

Taylor Pardue (27:36):

Directly to it.

Kerri Fowler (27:36):

Because the heart of this is the student. And so, we respect the student first in the process. And so, obviously, there are other FERPA guidelines and things like that. And so, there is a communications box, and people just click that and then they can opt in or opt out of our communications and learn more about who we are, what we do and what we’ve got going on. Spring Fling is March 6-8, and so that’s going to be another opportunity for families to come on campus. I’m really excited because it falls right in line with NC State’s birthday, so we’ve got big plans for that weekend, and we’re going to bring back our Grandparents’ Tea and our sibling event. So, we do try to also create those unique experiences for everyone in the family.

Taylor Pardue (28:21):

Again, not just the parents. I love that.

Kerri Fowler (28:22):

Not just the parents.

Taylor Pardue (28:23):

Yeah.

Kerri Fowler (28:24):

We love the parents, but not just the parents.

Taylor Pardue (28:27):

No, that sounds so exciting. I’m looking forward to that weekend as well.

Kerri Fowler (28:30):

It’ll be a great one.

Taylor Pardue (28:31):

We’ll be sure to include link information in our show notes with this episode, but thank you so much, Kerri, for coming out today and just sharing all this important work. It’s just the embodiment of the NC State Wolfpack spirit, and it’s just really interesting to learn about it, and I hope listeners enjoy it and will participate as well.

Kerri Fowler (28:48):

Thank you for having me.

Taylor Pardue (28:54):

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