K-State’s First Lady Sally Linton hosts a variety of initiatives to help students accomplish their goals
By Tim Schrag '12
Even after five years in the role, K-State First Lady Sally Linton’s favorite thing is getting to meet and work with students. She’s also excited to help them step into adulthood with their best foot forward.
“I love that part,” she said. “A big benefit of college is actually the social interaction and learning how to live in that aspect of becoming an adult. Academics are definitely important. That's always going to be a key piece. But the benefit of being on a campus like K-State is that whole life experience. If you're sitting in your room all the time by yourself just studying, you're missing out on building all of these life skills that are going to really move you forward.”
The friendliness of K-Staters has always stuck out to her.
“When you're walking around campus, people will look you in the eye,” she said. “They'll say hello. You don't get that at every campus. There is a willingness of the faculty and the staff that genuinely want to help students. You can stop and talk to students, and they're willing to talk. They’re engaged and having fun.”
It might be, in her view, K-State’s greatest strength.
“The more that we can promote that friendliness helps because there are students that are nervous or might be running into a challenge,” Linton said. “We want them to know there are seriously people here that want to help you get better.”
Linton sports a green bandana on her bag to let students know they can talk to her if they need assistance.
One of her favorite events is the welcome back night where she can meet with first year students on campus.
“The shift to college is one of your biggest life shifts you'll ever have,” she said. “Really, if you think about it, you shift into independence away from your parents, that's a huge thing. So, I love that night. I try to walk around and connect with the people that are either by themselves or with one other person, or just look like maybe they could use that nice connection to help them get engaged.”
Linton hosts and assists with dozens of events each week on campus. And even though she enjoys them, she faced some burnout in her first year on campus.
“You're living on campus, and so really, it's a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour job essentially,” she said.
As a result, she changed her schedule to build in time for herself to recharge, refocus and be present both in her role as First Lady but also as a certified ADHD and life coach.
“I was coaching other people how to do it, but I wasn't implementing it myself,” she said. “So then I needed to do a recheck, and I really did. I changed things, and it helped a ton. I'm pretty strict about holding that space, especially in the morning, and then limiting how many things I take on.”
She now blocks time for university-related work, her coaching business, time for exercise and wellness, as well as time for fun.
She and President Richard Linton hosted a movie night on the lawn at the President’s Residence last month in partnership with UPC. On Halloween she and President Linton will host a costume contest at the Residence. Earlier this fall they hosted Lunch with the Lintons, where the K-State community could socialize on the Residence lawn. With the fall semester season in full swing that means the schedule continues to be full, but she’s happy to do the work.
As First Lady, Linton has a number of initiatives that pair with her skillset to help students and the greater K-State community work with their brains to be the best versions of themselves.
Several times a month, Linton hosts Refuel and Refocus at Hale Library. The event, which is open to the entire K-State community, is a body doubling session where individuals perform nonpreferred tasks alongside one another to maintain focus and overcome task paralysis.
“It helps you be able to focus because everybody else is focused too,” she said.
On average, Linton said anywhere from 10-30 people attend the sessions. Occasionally, students will ask her questions about productivity tips and tricks, especially relating to ADHD.
“The door is always open,” she said.
Additionally, she helps with Long Night Against Procrastination, an evening at the mid semester point designed to help students lock in and get projects, assignments and other tasks done.
These events are designed to help students plan, break tasks down, reduce anxiety and help students accomplish their goals in a better way.
“Some things to remind people that if it feels too big, you need to break it down,” she said. “There's a reason why you're feeling the way you are.”