Like many, pre-nursing student Laklynn Fulenchek has decided to make the move to the RV life.
Fulenchek plays on the Newman women’s golf team and was looking for ways to simplify her world, which is challenging due to practice and class schedules. Fulenchek and her parents started looking for an RV to make her a home — an idea that came from family friends who did the same thing during college.
A popular alternative
Fulenchek says that while searching for an RV, she quickly realized that there weren’t a lot of options within her budget and that there’s a high demand for RVs.
“You would almost have to contact the sellers within a couple hours or the good ones would be gone,” she recalls.
Fulenchek, who’s originally from Texas, eventually found the perfect little camper, which she’s started to make her own.
“I have decorated with my own personal decor for a young adult,” she says. “I have changed the lights to LEDs to be more cost effective. The outside was in pretty good shape, except we changed the tires so it can travel safely from Texas to Kansas.”
Enhancing the college experience
Her mother, Andrea, feels that Fulenchek’s RV gives her the experience of living on her own but still being close enough to campus to feel part of all its hustle and bustle. She thinks this independence will help Fulenchek in the future when she becomes a nurse.
“It has been very exciting to see how much she’s grown in maturity the last year and become more of an independent young adult,” Andrea says. “There is no doubt being about five hours away from home and attending Newman is preparing her appropriately for the real world of nursing.”
Fulenchek hopes that living in an RV shows other college students that there are living options out there if they’re brave enough to try something out-of-the-box. She even plans to call the RV home when she gets her first nursing job.
Perhaps the best part of RV living is that Fulenchek has a quiet living space to study in and make completely her own. She’s also able to stay more focused on her academics and golf game, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by Head Women’s Golf Coach Taryn Torgerson.
“Laklynn improved a lot from when she first got to Newman to when she finished her freshman year,” Torgerson says. “She is always open to new ideas and ways to get better, and I appreciate that about her. It has been fun coaching her and having her a part of the team!”
