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Keerthan Gopu

• Adventure Center Supervisor

• Computer Science

Keerthan Gopu was a Master’s student who worked as a Custom Program Supervisor in the Adventure Center. He received a Master’s in Computer Science in the Spring of 2024.

Keerthan spoke about his desire to work in SRWC, citing his love of the outdoors as why he chose to work at the Adventure Center. He specified that his work in SRWC actually doesn’t tie into his major, but rather quite the opposite. “I’m a ‘techie’, so I always sit in front of a desk and am there for long hours, which made me want to go outdoors a lot. Both ends are really opposite, but I'm that kind of person. I just wanted to be more connected with nature and at the Adventure Center. We do like a lot of trips outdoors, such as camping trips and kayaking. I love being on the water.”

The Adventure Center has a very wide variety of activities that they run. Keerthan said this was a big plus for him. He also highlighted how much he enjoyed working with patrons. “As a Custom Program Supervisor, I work with a lot of patrons on programs like team building programs or high ropes, low ropes, even river trips, all of those.”  Keerthan said. “I like connecting with people and building a sense of community. I was lucky to meet with a lot of new people and make new friends at this job especially.”

When it came to working with staff, Keerthan said he was thankful for his freedom on the job. He also spoke to how helpful the professional staff were. “I like it a lot with all the flexibility we have and the staff members helping during my initial days, all the veteran staff who were here before I got here, they helped me with everything. It was really good working here with the support from supervisors like Chris Lukas, Chris Baker and Jeff Kingery.”

Keerthan also took the time to thank the SWRC staff for making his time in Kent special. “I just want to thank all the supervisors and the staff here. They've been so friendly to me, especially since I'm an international student. They all helped me through a struggling period and I’m comfortable now.”