WKU student creates Coleus Academy, an adulting encyclopedia
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- Adulting is about to get easier thanks to a Western Kentucky University senior who is helping many young adults with necessary life lessons for free.
Janessa Unseld’s federally recognized nonprofit, Coleus Academy, is providing unique and educational opportunities. The opportunities are created for any adult who may be in transition or anyone who needs to accomplish a task that many don’t learn in a traditional classroom.
Unseld shares the goal of the nonprofit.
She says, “I’m trying to solve a problem I have in which I think a lot of young adults have, which is that when you turn 18, you’re kind of expected to perform adulthood. You’re expected to live by adulthood and take on those responsibilities. However, there’s not really a consistent infrastructure in place to make sure you have those skills. ”
Unseld and her team understood that people were already looking things up on the internet. She also knows so many sources aren’t reliable.
Starr May, a director on the board of Coleus, completely understood the assignment. She knew what was needed as a young adult, and May also had many questions.
May says, “It’s like an encyclopedia for life. It’s a collection of all the little questions where you ask, ‘how am I supposed to do this? What?’ Nobody taught me this in school, but I need to know if I’m going to be successful. And all of that’s in there.”
Along with answering any questions, when you use Coleus, you will leave more prepared with the knowledge and tools you need to be a successful adult. People will also have that resource and know they can turn to it and very quickly engage a topic that they’re curious about, such as taxes or resumes, and gain a baseline understanding to feel prepared.
The Coleus Academy had a soft launch in November, but the adult encyclopedia will fully launch this summer. For more information, visit coleusacademy.org/.
