For many students, college can be a stressful step, but for Jordan Parker, it felt like a natural progression in achieving his goals.

A senior finance major, Parker said he chose his major not just because it was a field he enjoyed, but also because studying it could help further his understanding.

“I like money. I like managing money,” Parker said. “And I figured if I can manage other people’s money and be knowledgeable about money, I can probably be knowledgeable about my own money as well.”

For Parker, going to the University of Kentucky felt like a natural progression for him and his goals. 

When he was younger, Parker said he enjoyed being athletic, but as he got older, he started to think more about what he wanted besides being physically active.

“What I’m going to be doing in college, like, is this something that I want to be doing,” Parker said.

Luckily, participating in sports served as a useful experience for Parker, who said he developed skills from it that he now uses in other areas of his life.

“My mental determination is still the exact same,” Parker said. “It’s just getting channeled into different things.”

According to Parker, sports helped him discover a little more about what he wanted to pursue, with the idea of doing activities that depend more on individual effort than anything else appealing to him the most.

“I liked that it (sports) was a challenge. I liked that it was hard. I liked that it was individual and I didn’t have to rely on teammates,” Parker said. “Everything was on me when it came down to it.” 

Although Parker enjoyed sports, he did not view them as a long-term goal to pursue.

“Unfortunately, you get hurt and end up in the hospital a lot and I was dealing with a lot of that,” Parker said. “It’s just not something sustainable that I could end up doing into my future, getting hurt all the time.”

Like many students, Parker works a job while going to school. This can often be a challenge for many students, as they have to figure out how to balance going to school with going to work.

According to Parker, although work can be tricky to balance while being a student, it has ultimately been beneficial for him in the long-run, saying balancing work and school has actually been easy for him.

“Working has felt like it has been a useful way to stay active,” Parker said. Working is a way to stay active and involved.”

Nearing the end of his time at UK, Parker reflected on what advice he would give to younger students.

“Just be smart,” Parker said. “Don’t make stupid decisions.”