By Nicholette Marbley
It’s’s not often you get to chat with someone who got a personal letter of recommendation from a presidential candidate! My interview with Eli Kalil exceeded my expectations and heightened my standards for all 23-year-old individuals! I can certainly say he adds flair and honor in being a Kent State Golden Flash. His journey is one many individuals haven’t experienced. His none quit, selfless, go-getter attitude gave him the success he has today. He founded the Eli Kalil and CO LLC foundation. This organization helps local businesses in Ashtabula and makes a tremendous effort to give back to the community.
Eli Kalil is a 23-year-old Kent State graduate from Ashtabula. Kalil is an only child and was raised by his two loving parents Andrea and David Kalil. His father works for the steel industry, and his mother was a corrections officer. He attended Ashtabula City Schools and switched to K-12 Buckeye local school, where he played basketball and lettered. Kalil to switched districts because he longed for a better education. A childhood memory the Kent State grad holds dear is coming home and stumbling upon his parents building a basketball court. This court is now a staple in his community.
Kalil graduated with flying colors and enrolled in Hiram College, where he chose to major in political science. After a year, he transferred to the satellite Kent State campus in Ashtabula and where he switched his major to Communications. Kalil volunteered with political campaigns and landed a job as a legislative aid working for Senator O’Brien, who became one of his mentors. Because the State House is in Columbus, he decided to switch to online classes.
In his last year of undergrad, he returned to Kent State in Ashtabula to take physical classes. He received his bachelor’s in communication and was the commencement speaker at his graduation. He returned to Kent State to get his Masters in Public Administration and is aiming to get his doctorate in the future. His end goal is to become a school administrator. I asked him if he one day wanted to run for public office. Kalil has come in contact with many politicians, Tim Ryan and Peter Butitieg, just to name a few. Witnessing how things are run first hand and making friends along the way, I thought he would be perfect. His response to me was, “Maybe …one day”.
Out of the multitude of obvious reasons to interview Kalil, I chose to talk about the accomplished college grade because of his quality of leadership and his astounding volunteer track record. Out of the countless things he has done, He was an overseer of the Rising Scholars Program. This program consists of college students mentoring and tutoring high school students. The college mentors receive additional financial support, as do high school students who choose to attend Kent State. He has been very vocal about this program. He also volunteers at the Ashtabula YMCA. His words to me were, “If we had more volunteers, we would have fewer problems. I encourage our readers to open their minds and hearts and give any way they can even if it’s as small as opening a door or giving strangers small words of encouragement. During this massive time of need, we need more random acts of kindness more than ever.”
