Lancaster's assistantships with IDP, ECU football team position him for future success

headshot of Kalen Lancaster in his ECU athletics polo

Kalen Lancaster knew that a degree in counselor education was the perfect fit for him after working with fellow students in his undergraduate coursework at East Carolina University.

“I enjoy connecting with students, listening to their positive and negative experiences as students and helping them get the resources they need while also preparing them with the knowledge they need to come up with solutions on their own,” he said.

It was through his experiences with faculty and staff at ECU as an undergraduate that he knew he wanted to continue his studies in Pirate Nation.

“My favorite thing about ECU is the small community aspect and being able to easily connect with members of the ECU community!” he said.

As he works toward his anticipated graduation date of December 2027, Lancaster is working as a graduate assistant for the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions. In this role, he connects with current, former and prospective students with department information and updates, and he assists faculty and staff with daily tasks, assignments and research.

This is not the only way that Lancaster is connected with ECU. After connecting with ECU football’s player development coach, he began a student assistantship with the team.

“I assist with practices and meeting tasks leading up to game days,” he said. “I also assist the athletes with help navigating their individual college experiences.”

Balancing both roles with his studies is no easy feat. Lancaster noted that time management is crucial for his success, as well as ensuring he prioritizes his own goals and well-being.

After graduating with his master’s degree, Lancaster dreams of becoming a counselor and student development coordinator at the college and university level. He feels that his assistantships and coursework at ECU is setting him up to succeed.

“ECU has helped me prepare for my future in so many ways,” he said. “The biggest is allowing me the opportunity to work and assist so many different departments and programs on campus as well as allowing me the experience working with college athletics and student-athletes.”

His advice to other graduate students interested in counselor education is to go for it and embrace the knowledge and research available to you.

“Not only do you get to broaden your counselor education knowledge,” he said, “but you also will truly learn more about yourself as an individual and how you can have a positive impact on other students!”

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