National Transfer Student Week is recognized on campuses across the United States each October, highlighting transfer students' experiences. Also Read: MSU Marks 4 Years of Transfer Student Success.

Katherine “Katie” Goble is a senior majoring in Communication Leadership and Strategy with a minor in Public Relations. She started her higher education journey at Lansing Community College (LCC) before transferring to MSU. She is a Vanderploeg Scholar, Transfer Experience Mentorship Program mentor and a first-generation student who, notably, is the first community college transfer student named to MSU's Homecoming Court. Here, she discusses her journey as a transfer student and how that journey prepared her to be a Spartan for life. 

By Katherine Goble

“I wonder if I will ever feel like a real Spartan. I’ll probably stick out like a sore thumb as a ‘junior-freshman,’—a term I coined to describe my unique class standing—and it’s going to be so hard to make friends because everyone has already built their community.”

I said that to my mom at the Lansing Community College (LCC) Stars to Spartans event in the spring of 2025 as my transfer to Michigan State University approached. I was grappling with the reality that I wouldn’t have a traditional freshman year, and I worried I wouldn't find a place on a campus of 5,200 acres. I wondered if I’d be satisfied with university life. 

I was wrong about two things: I would go on to have an incredible junior-freshman year. Second, I wouldn’t say I stick out like a sore thumb, per se, but I’m certainly known around campus and have built a vibrant network across the university.

I am beyond grateful for that. 

I grew up in Albion, Michigan, in a community that doesn’t have much support for higher education. Growing up, I never felt like I was part of something, but I always wondered if I was meant for something greater. My family didn’t know our neighbors, and I spent most of my time focused on schoolwork. I knew early on that if I wanted to build a different life, education was the key.

When I graduated high school in 2022, I knew college was the path, but I didn’t really know what to expect. In all honesty, I got super lucky. Things that I could have never imagined fell into my lap and being a blue-collar daughter, you learn very quickly surprise opportunities won’t often come around again. My path led to LCC. 

During my first year, an academic advisor suggested I restart the campus marketing club. I worked tirelessly that summer and throughout my sophomore year to recruit students, host events, fundraise, partner with local organizations, and hold a leadership position for the first time. I stumbled and by the end of the year, I realized I had overworked my team, treated the club like a job, and helicoptered over everyone. 

Something else I realized? It wasn’t the end of the world. By my third year, I joined the executive board of Phi Theta Kappa as digital marketing director, applying those lessons to become a true team player.

These experiences helped prepare me for MSU in ways I didn’t know yet. I learned how to lead, how to work with others, and, perhaps most importantly, how to learn from my mistakes. I was ready to take what I had learned at LCC and apply it to the next chapter of my education. 

Before transferring, I utilized Envision Green, a partnership between LCC and MSU that helped me navigate the transfer process, campus tours, peer mentorship, and transfer deadlines. That foundation set the stage for my transition to East Lansing. Since it was a newer program, I was able to work alongside the director to help shape it. 

The real turning point came the summer before my transfer, when I was accepted into FLI Vanderploeg Scholars, a first-generation cohort program under Pathways to Persistence. This program showed me the powerhouse that I am as a first-gen, transfer student. During Early Arrival weekend, I created an “MSU Vision Board” in my dorm room. It featured a boarding pass for study abroad, a laboratory icon for undergraduate research, a group photo for friendship, and a graphic that read: “Any unexpected money is welcome.”

Every single one came to fruition.

I jumped into Fall Welcome, made close friends right away, joined advisory councils with university leadership, secured an undergraduate research placement, and completed a five-week study abroad program in Europe. That “junior-freshman” year I almost dreaded because I had preset expectations for how it would go ended up being the best year of my life.

Now a senior, I have wonderful memories from my time in Europe, well over 100 people I can call, email, or stop by to see if I need help, and a community that makes sure I never have to go to an event by myself. Even when I do, I often run into someone I know. I have also deeply connected with wonderful Spartan alumni, and learned countless lessons from their time as students. 

This brings me to the biggest honor of my life so far: being selected for the 2026 MSU Homecoming Court! I applied in January on a whim because I figured it was a lost cause due to my limited time here—proof that impact is measured by what you do with your time, not how long you are here. I have chased every dream, opened every door, taken advantage of every opportunity, and reached a level I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams.

As graduation approaches, I will miss the Pathways Office in Bessey Hall, Strange Matter in the MSU Union, the Digital Scholarship Lab, and the Communications Arts and Sciences building. But more than places, I will miss the deep sense of belonging.

When you make the decision to become a Spartan, register for classes, move into your dorm, and put on your first gameday gear, you have joined this community for life. No matter where I go in the world, there will always be a Spartan community somewhere out there willing to help me in any way. 

I was reminded of this at a recent President’s Tailgate, where I met a man who attended MSU for only 45 days decades ago before changing paths. I was taken aback. When I asked why he still returns for events, he said, “This college is a wonderful place to grow, and I like to feel like I am part of something larger than myself. I get that feeling when I step onto campus, so that’s why I come back as much as possible.”

His answer stayed with me. MSU excels at showing students from all walks of life that they are valued. Yet as National Transfer Student Week comes to a close, it is also a time to reflect on remaining gaps.

Much of my success came through the funding and support of the FLI program. Many transfer students still struggle to find events, connect with peers, or access funding for research and conferences. Transfer students bring maturity, adaptability, and fresh perspectives to campus; they aren't starting over but rather building on everything they've already accomplished. 

They have learned to adapt and navigate challenges through the experiences they have already pushed through. Transfer students are not starting over. They are bringing everything they have learned, every challenge they have overcome, and every experience that has shaped them into a new community. They deserve the same opportunities to grow, connect, and thrive as every other Spartan. I will never stop advocating for this group of students.

Looking back at that conversation with my mom at LCC, I wish I could tell my younger self that she had nothing to worry about. She would find her people and become part of something far bigger than herself.

Being a transfer student never made me less of a Spartan. It was part of what made me one.