Young Koepke left no canvas, analysis or marketing report unturned as an undergraduate student at Northern Kentucky University.
“I started as an art major and loved the creative process,” she said. “However, I eventually thought, ‘Maybe I can use that creative thinking and process in a different area of academia and see how it goes.’ There are so many options in college.”
Koepke changed her major to psychology after taking an introductory course as a prerequisite. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychological Science in 2013. Koepke was also a research assistant at NKU and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center while enrolled in the program.
“I loved the research component of psychology,” she said. “I’m not saying that I’m indecisive, but I like to try as many things as possible. I took several classes in different areas of psychology research. It was a great experience, but I learned that clinical research was something I didn’t want to pursue.”
Fortunately, Koepke also took a marketing course that piqued her interest and led her to the right career path. She added a marketing minor to her degree program and is now an audience insights analyst for the South Korea market for Warner Brothers Entertainment in New York City.
“NKU has a robust marketing research internship program called MMRP (Marketing Research Partnership Program) led by Dr. Aron Levin,” she said. “He told me, ‘There’s an internship position opening up at Seed Strategy. You should go interview.’ I got the internship. I fell in love immediately with consumer research through that experience.”
Heart and Seoul
Koepke was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and lived in Korea for 11 years before returning to the United States and graduating from high school in Louisville.
“My parents, Woogeki and Jaehwa Lee, both went to college,” Koepke said. “The reason they came to America in the first place is my dad got his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. That really influenced our family on the importance of education.”
Initially, Koepke considered other universities in Kentucky before visiting Highland Heights with a friend.
“NKU was definitely not on my radar, but I fell in love with it,” Koepke said. “It felt like a community. It was kind of secluded, but I actually liked that and was looking for that kind of environment. I could walk anywhere on campus. I also loved that Cincinnati was so close.”
Her favorite course, PSY 340: Social Psychology, is also part of the online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program curriculum at NKU.
“I was eventually able to make that connection with marketing research in that course,” she said. “I like the principles behind what motivates people in a certain way and what they’re doing in social settings. There are some research method classes that are very rigorous and discipline-driven, but I loved that.”
Koepke remained in the Cincinnati area after graduation. She worked as a consumer insights researcher at Seed Strategy for four years before expanding her horizons as a project manager at Burke, Inc., for a little more than a year.
“I am always happy doing customer insights and strategy,” she said. “I’ve had great experience working with different brands and industries. I also learned to manage logistics and research. Then, the Warner Brothers opportunity came to me. They were specifically looking for someone who spoke Korean, and I am fluent in Korean. It’s been great.”
New York Norse
Koepke credits the NKU faculty with supporting her while she went from art to psychology to marketing as she searched for her true calling.
“I stayed close with Dr. Levin and Dr. David Raska,” she said. “They became my great mentors. Through them, I met students and gave them my experience and perspective. The professors at NKU from any department I was in psychology or marketing — were so approachable and helpful. Their ability to talk to students on a one-on-one level made me successful.”
As a mentor to others who might be struggling to find their way in college, Koepke encourages students to be unafraid of trying something different if they need a change.
“It’s important to go into college with an open heart and an open mind,” she said. “It’s great to go say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and stay with it, but I’ve also seen students struggle because they’ve committed to this idea. College is a way to explore different possibilities.”
At NKU, Koepke not only earned her undergraduate degree, she also met her future husband, Alex. Although she has worked for Warner Brothers for one year, the couple only recently relocated to the Big Apple.
“Living in New York City is still new,” she said. “We have only been here for a month. I’ve been exploring a lot. Nature is important to my husband and me. We go hiking a lot.”
Giving back to community is very important to her, and Koepke also remains a co-producer and vice chair of the PeteFest Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The annual event is produced by the Pete Foundation, a youth mental health advocacy program. Koepke has worked with the program for nearly three years. Now that she is settled into a job she loves, she is glad that she wasn’t afraid to find her niche at NKU.
“I have been telling students that it’s okay to change course or explore something,” she said. “Try different internships. Try different clubs and meet different people. Get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. It’s okay to let go of something to start something new. I loved being in school. Then when I was at graduation, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I did it.'”
Learn more about the NKU online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program.
