Our #WesleyanWednesday feature this week is Laura (Spencer) Murphy ’09!
Laura is a social studies and language arts teacher at Daviess County Middle School where she also coaches cross country! While a student at Wesleyan, Laura was a member of the dance team, involved in theatre, FCA and more!
Q: Tell us a little about your job!
A: I have been teaching at Daviess County Middle School for fourteen years, both language arts and social studies. I help coach the cross-country team, write for Owensboro Times and, most recently, accepted an adjunct faculty position at Kentucky Wesleyan College for this fall.
Q: Why did you choose KWC?
A: I was drawn to Kentucky Wesleyan College because it offered big campus opportunities with a small campus community and atmosphere.
Q: Have you earned any degrees/certificates since graduating from KWC?
A: I have a master’s degree (Teacher Leader Program), Rank One (Literacy Design Specialist), and a Doctorate degree (Educational Leadership).
Q: Have you earned any accolades/awards since graduating from KWC you’d like to tell us about?
A: I have received the Community Distinguished Teaching Award (2014), Middle School Teacher of the Year (DCPS- 2019), and Valvoline Top 8 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Finalist (2020).
Q: Are you married? Do you have any children? Tell us a little about your home life!
A: I am married to Josh Murphy, celebrating fifteen years together. Josh was a Kentucky Wesleyan College Basketball fan since he was a young kid, so we shared that in common. We have four children—Jonah (14), Lily (11), Josiah (5) and Judson (9 months).
Q: What are your favorite hobbies?
A: I love to workout, run/take walks and design t-shirts. I also love writing!
Q: What is your favorite KWC memory?
A: I loved the basketball games! I’ll never forget realizing my freshmen year that local news stations come to the games. I was on the sidelines dancing for a game when I saw a camera pointed my direction. That night on the news, during the sports highlights, I saw myself and the team on the sidelines and thought that was so cool! I may have stayed in town for college, but I definitely still got the full college experience.
Q: What’s an interesting fact about yourself?
A: I love to rap! I can create a rap off the top of my head thanks to loving rhyming words… I read a lot of Dr. Seuss growing up.
Q: Why should a prospective student choose KWC?
A: KWC is a family, a community and a welcoming college campus. There’s a rich history of excellence at this school that causes current students and alumni alike to take pride in their school.
Q: What advice do you have for future alumni?
A: Get involved! Be a proud Panther.
Thanks, Laura, for letting us feature you this week for #WesleyanWednesday! We are so proud of the things you’ve accomplished in your teaching career, and we are so excited to have you as an adjunct professor in the fall!
Want to be our next #WesleyanWednesday feature or know someone who should be? Click here!