Natalie Karlson

Natalie Karlson

CONNECT Classic Mentor

Paul College

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Year: Sophomore

Major: Business Administration

Campus Involvement: UAC, ISA, CONNECT, Voice Z Digital Marketing, Leadership Fellows for Peter T. Paul College

Fun Fact About You: There isn’t a single type of bug I’m not scared of, so I guess that is my way of saying I’m a home-body.

Favorite Thing About CONNECT: I love how this organization managed to positively impact my entire freshman year. My main friend group is from CONNECT and they are basically a family away from home. CONNECT also influenced the extracurriculars I participate in during my free time and has opened opportunities for me such as invited to be in the first official cohort of Paul’s Leadership Fellows.

Advice to 1st Year Students: In high school, I was quiet and uninterested in being involved in extracurriculars. However, going into college, I basically flipped my entire personality around, or at least it would seem that way if my high school classmates saw me now. But to be honest, this is just how I have always been, and I never showed it during my grade school experience. It blew my mind when I made friends so quickly in college by just being me. I am happier, and the friends I made in CONNECT mean the world to me. So, my advice is to let out your inner personality out even if you don’t usually show it. It's freeing to be yourself and still have friends who love and appreciate you at the end of the day.