Yes, because it got me to where I needed to be. When you look back, was Penn State a good choice for you? That’s why I’ve gone into and stayed in education. I like to help people develop themselves. I was named one of the citizens of the year of Wyoming, Ohio, because of my volunteer work there. Since I moved here, I’m still trying to figure out where to volunteer, but I volunteered a lot when I lived in Ohio. What drove your interest in healthcare management? I knew I wouldn’t be good at the clinical part, but I wanted to be part of healthcare. I remember going to her graduation as a little girl, being so impressed by hospitals, and thinking how wonderful it would be to take care of people. My sister, Anita, was a nurse, and she went to Johns Hopkins for nursing school. But you were focused on that from a very young age. Penn State had a good program, and they launched my career. It was, for the most part, it is a major people find after they decided to not be a clinician. That’s a young age to realize you wanted to major in healthcare management. I knew I didn’t have the stomach to do the clinical aspects of healthcare - I pass out watching people in pain! I knew my skills were in organization and management, so I went in that direction. I went to Penn State because I wanted to study healthcare management. because too much skullduggery happens there. My mom said she didn’t want me going to college in D.C. I got into Lehigh University and American University in Washington D.C. I studied health planning and administration, which is what it was called back then. All of my friends and I loved Pat Benatar - she was an anthem for young women. I liked everything from Rock and Roll, Funk, New Wave and Alternative. I loved listening to the old local Philadelphia radio stations, like Power 99, WYSP, and WMMR.

What kind of music floated your boat in high school? It was a great learning experience and lots of fun. And my father played in many bands at Sunnybrook, so he knew a lot of folks there, and that’s how I got my job. Some of the chefs at Sunnybrook worked for my uncles in their restaurant, so it just goes to show the small-town nature of Pottstown. Sunnybrook was a huge enterprise, and a team effort made it happen. I learned how to set priorities and manage multiple things at the same time. Great lessons that have helped me my whole life! What’s the most important lesson you learned working at Sunnybrook? I credit that job with learning how to multitask and develop a service mentality. It was a great place to grow up and learn to work with people. I worked at Sunnybrook Colonial Room from when I was in 10th grade all the way through college and graduate school.įirst, I was a busgirl, then I became a waitress and worked in the banquets in the ballroom. When you were in high school, did you have any part-time jobs? For all of us, Pottstown is a place we still care about. We used to go on trips and competitions, and I made life-long friends.

Back in high school, I was a baton twirler in the marching band. I also played tennis - I wasn’t very good at it, but kept playing as an adult. Did you play any sports when you were younger, Karen?

They retired in the 70s, but it was a happening place in Pottstown. My uncles owned a restaurant in Pottstown called the Crystal Restaurant. We had great teachers, and I got a great education. It was a nice community - there were always things to do. What memories do you have of growing up in Pottstown? Then the war ended, he returned to England, and they married. My parents met during World War II when my dad was stationed in England and met my mother at a dance - a very romantic story. He was also a professional musician and played bass violin in different bands across the tri-state area. My father was a postal worker at the Pottstown Post Office for 34 years. I was born the youngest of five kids in Pottstown. Where were you born, and where did you grow up, Karen? Now, as the director of the MBA program, chair of the healthcare administration major, and assistant professor at DeSales University, she is focused on developing innovative course formats that combine flexibility and personalized interactions. After a few years, she became a full-time faculty member, and began her doctoral studies. Kent knew as a teenager that she wanted to work in healthcare management and earned two degrees in that field before switching to part-time work as an adjunct professor while caring for her son with autism. Since a young age, she had a knack for leadership and community service, including serving as the drum major of the Pottstown High School marching band and the president of the Anchor Club. Karen Kent spoke to MONTCO Today about growing up in Pottstown as the youngest of five children.

Dr karen schick