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On campus, he found caring faculty mentors, that “are top-notch compared with other Division III schools,” and financial support that allowed him to pursue both baseball and his education.

“Scholarships helped lessen a financial burden that greatly played into my college decision. I was taking a risk when I decided to play baseball in college. I was only able to do this because IC was comparable in cost to some of the state schools that I was looking into. My experiences in and outside the classroom have been invaluable. Not only did I receive a quality education, but I was truly happy at IC. Now, I can take my experiences on the baseball field with me as I journey to be a psychologist and work with athletes.”

Being part of the 2021 Midwest Conference champion team and, before the championship game, receiving the Elite 20 Award were some of the highlights of Kellen’s college career. The Elite 20 Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the baseball championship.

“Having all the hard work of being a student-athlete pay off at that moment was priceless. Not only were my athletic abilities on display, but I was also being recognized for my dedication to my studies.”

Kellen was a member of psychology and first-year honor societies, Psi Chi and Alpha Lambda Delta, and student-faculty research with Assistant Professor of Psychology Alex Moore had a significant impact on his four years at IC.

In addition to being a mentor for Kellen’s psychology research, he said Moore “personally walked me through the graduate school application process and did everything he could to set me up for success, including meeting with me numerous times to fine-tune my application.”

“My research experience solidified my decision to pursue a graduate school education. Without it, I’m not sure I would have been prepared for the next step. It was an experience that I look back on with appreciation for the difference it made in my education and the scholar I have always desired to be. I cannot stress enough how much that experience has prepared me for graduate school, conducting my own research and becoming a better critical thinker.”

Kellen is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at Saint Louis University. After finishing his studies, he plans to have a research-based practice where he can pursue the scientific aspects of psychology while providing clinical treatment to people with addictive behaviors, especially athletes facing those challenges.