Ohio University: An Artist's Perspective

By Radostina Grozeva

   Every Ohio University student has their own dreams and aspirations. Each one comes to Ohio University to learn about themselves and to find out what they will do for the rest of their lives. Junior Katie Repas was one step ahead and knowing what she wanted to do with her life, chose to come to Ohio University to help her reach her goal.

Katie Repas thinks about what she is going to do for her next art project at
Siegfried Hall at Ohio University. 

Family

    Katie Repas was born on October 10, 1990 in Cleveland, OH. She was brought up by her parents, Jim and Jenny Repas. In third grade, her parents got divorced and eventually both got remarried. Because of this, her family grew. Her dad married her step-mom, Karen, who had two sons, Trevor and Tyler. Her mom married her step-dad, Kurtis, and he had two daughters, Kaleigh and Sydney. Along with her biological sister, Holly, Katie has a total of five siblings. Despite the size of her family, Katie is extremely close with all her family members.

Katie Repas poses with a rescued cat at her home in
Athens, OH. 

Childhood

    As a child, Katie was much like the person she is today. She was really into art and coloring.
    “When I was a kid, I was really into coloring books. When I was around five, I would color them and sell them to my parents, who I asked to pay me 25 cents or 50 cents per picture.” Katie said.

    She continued to enjoy art as she got older. Art was her favorite subject in elementary school and in middle school, kids began paying her to do their art projects for them.

   “They would get A's and I made money.” Katie said.

    It was during this time that Katie decided she wanted to pursue an art education in college. In high school, Katie explored different mediums in art and further developed her artistic skills.

College

Here, Katie Repas is sitting on the floor of Import House in
Athens, OH playing with cat. 

    To be able to get the education she wanted, Katie chose to come to Ohio University. She first fell in love with the campus and then learned that it had an amazing art program. It was a match made in heaven. At Ohio University, Katie declared as a fine arts major. She is also involved in the service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and in many activities with outdoor pursuits. Being a member of Alpha Phi Omega has provided her with a lot of opportunities. She really enjoys doing service for the program and often feels like it's not work. Her favorite part of Alpha Phi Omega is being able to participate in their Give Kids the World program. This allowed her to travel to Florida to work with terminally ill children who are being granted their last wishes. Being a part of this program and Ohio University has prepared her for what the future may hold.

Katie Repas with friend Sarah Robinson at camp in the
summer of 2011. 

Future

    Katie wishes to become an art teacher in the future and is working towards a masters in education. She doesn't know which grade she wants to teach but she knows she wants to work with young kids.

    “I want to be an art teacher. If I am in education, it has to be as an art teacher or I won't be a teacher at all.” Katie said.

    Katie believes Ohio University has prepared her well regardless of what the future holds. She has learned to stick to doing what she loves despite how hard it may get. Her freshman year was the hardest because it pushed her to the brink but she realized that art was what she wanted to do for life. Being an art major is really difficult and she is constantly working on art projects. Despite the amount of work, she knows that art is something she loves to do.
    “Being here has taught me time and stress management. I think I am well prepared for what life may bring me.” Katie said.