Commencement Speaker: Jacky Romo

For NKU senior Jacky Romo, graduation means reaching another milestone in the journey toward achieving her dream: starting her own residential construction business. Growing up in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Romo participated in her high school’s construction team, which took first place in the 2019 National Association of Home Builders Student Competition, in addition to playing basketball and soccer. NKU’s nationally ranked construction management program, part of the Haile College of Business, led her to enroll in the university, but it was the small, family atmosphere that kept her on campus.

“It wasn’t just the class sizes,” she says. “Another factor was the engagement between faculty and staff with students. They care about the students and make learning fun.”

Romo particularly admires director of Student Engagement & Programming Brittany Jackson and director of LGBTQ+ Student Initiatives LaVette Burnette, who she says bring a strong, level-headed leadership to campus that brings out the best in students.

As a construction management major, she studied the core tenets of the industry, from creating schedules and estimates to understanding building codes and contracts.

“My favorite class would have to have been structural analysis,” Romo says. “Learning how to calculate the different weights that loads can carry between concrete, steel and wood was interesting. I really enjoy working with numbers.”

Within her major program, Romo says that she was often one of the youngest students in her courses, with many classmates already having prior experience in the field of construction. The experience pushed her to become a better student and taught her the importance of reaching out for help.

“I would advise first-year students to be patient and to not be afraid to ask questions,” she says. “Use the resources available to you and get the help you need.”

She also recommends that students attend at least one basketball game and watch the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s step show before graduating.

Before kicking off her career, Romo most looks forward to spending time with her friends and family after graduation.

“I not only pushed hard for myself but for anyone who had made a sacrifice for me in their life,” she says. “This dream would not have been possible without everyone on my team.”