Point Park Experience Helps Recent Graduate Overcome Loss, Balance Academic Success Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Meet Kelli Murphy

Degree earned at Point Park: B.A. in public relations and advertising, 2015
Hometown: Moon Township, Pa.
High School: Moon Area High School
Hobbies/interests: Outdoors, nature, movies, tea, alternative music, reading, great TV shows, traveling.
Favorite quote: "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." - Oscar Wilde
Twitter: @kmurphhhhhh

Kelli Murphy has worked her entire life to earn a college degree.

"Coming from a less-than-kosher background, I understood from a very young age that I had to put myself through school and do a lot of things by myself. During my sophomore year at Point Park, my mother passed away at the age of 47," said Murphy.

While coping with the death of her mother, Murphy said she had a choice to stay in school or take a break from her studies.

"Instead of succumbing to grief, I surrounded myself with family, friends and professors who helped to push me through the semester - it was my most successful semester; I think I ended up with a 3.9 GPA," she said.

Murphy's advice to a student facing a difficult situation in his or her life is to keep going.

"Everyone has his or her story, but you can't give up. Resilience and perseverance will make you stand out," Murphy said.

Murphy hopes that the next chapter of her story will allow her to draw on her own experiences to help others.

"When I was growing up, my mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia (which contributed to her passing). I want to be an advocate for mental illness. I feel that I need to be a part of that community and I have a duty to help families connect with resources that I didn't have when I was younger," said Murphy.

More about Kelli

• Outstanding Student Awards (Kelli won the student media/student organization award from the American Advertising Federation)
• Kelli Murphy Receives Pittsburgh Women in Communication Scholarship

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More About: public relations and advertising, Moon Area High School, alumni