Kay Stanton believes there is a lot of learning that happens outside the classroom.
As the assistant director of operations for the Office of Experiential Learning, Stanton finds opportunities for University of Georgia students to connect what they learn in the classroom with the world around them.
“I feel like more than anything, this aligns with my philosophy of life because it’s taking your knowledge and doing things in the world and learning from those things,” she said. “It’s a chance to expand yourself as a person.”
Stanton’s own path to UGA was a long and winding road. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art and biology from Berry College, honing her interest in medical and biological illustration. After that, she worked at the King Plow Arts Center for a few years, including during the 1996 Olympics. Eventually, she wanted to move from Atlanta and was drawn to Athens’ music and art scene. She also knew she’d eventually want to go back to school, making it a perfect fit.
“It seemed like such an amazing place,” she said.
Kay Stanton prepares an exhibit of student-produced photographs from Connect Abroad trips. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
Stanton heard of a temporary open position doing graphic design for a grant in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences through a friend. She stayed at the university to earn her master’s degree in historic preservation. She came back for a position with the university’s Institute on Human Development and Disability, then moved to the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ classics department. As part of that position, she began advising students.
Stanton’s supervisor at the time moved to the Office of Instruction and encouraged her to apply for an open position. She joined the Office of Experiential Learning in 2016 and has been involved in the implementation of the EL initiative since then.
“I love seeing the amazing things our students are doing and the things our faculty and staff are doing, too,” she said. “I’m lucky that I get to see it from both sides. I get to see the courses and activities that faculty and staff are creating, and I get to see what the students are doing in those courses and activities.”
Students can choose from more than 2,700 approved activities to fulfill their experiential learning requirement. Stanton works with faculty and staff on those proposals, trains others on experiential learning, collects data and reports it, ensures that all of those activities are following proper policies and procedures, and speaks at events around campus so that students know what’s available.
“This [experiential learning] is important for students. This is how they build their story,” she said.
Kay Stanton on a Connect Abroad trip to Morocco in March 2025. (Photo courtesy of Stanton)
One program Stanton has a particular passion for is Connect Abroad, which in 2025 offered six study away opportunities over spring break for first-year students. Participants get to explore the culture, society, politics and art of another country while connecting with other UGA students, faculty and staff. Stanton is the director of the program and has served as staff director for the Connect Abroad program in Morocco for the last two years.
Stanton believes the value in experiential learning lies in the transferable skills students pick up along the way. They’re better prepared to share what their potential is when they’re interviewing for graduate school or a job because they have experience to draw from and share.
“I think it expands a person’s vision of who they are and what they can do,” she said. “Experiential learning is the creation of transferable skills that you can take with you wherever you go.”
Not only does Stanton travel for work, but she also travels on her own time, including touring with her bands. She still paints and creates other art, in addition to knitting, reading and spending time outdoors. She also performs and teaches trapeze at Canopy Studios.
Her goal is to make sure students are having just as many amazing adventures while they’re here.
“I get to play a small part in students having truly impactful experiences as young adults, and that’s really exciting to me,” she said. “When I think back on my undergraduate and graduate experiences, the things that I remember most are the research I did, internships, my senior art show, Study Abroad. Those are the things you carry along with you.”
