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A Frankfort High School graduate and local Chick-Fil-A employee recently began her academic journey at Kentucky State University.

Freshman Reagan West is a legacy student and has a strong vision for her future. Her mother, Tanya West, graduated from Kentucky State in 2007.

Though only her first week on campus, West already has her favorite aspects of Kentucky State.

“My favorite part is the class size,” West said. “It’s small, just like Frankfort High School, and it calls for better relationships with your professors and classmates.”

For the focused freshman, reasons for choosing Kentucky State were very clear.

“I chose Kentucky State because of the opportunities that came with that choice,” West said. “I get to live at home with my mom. I get to keep my job at Chick-Fil-A and I get financial assistance because of my ACT score and high school grade point average.”

West said she’s nervous about things common among first-time freshmen: making friends and finding people with the same interests as her.

While she’s a little nervous, her excitement about college abounds.

“I am just excited to be studying things that I am going to use for the rest of my life with my career,” West said.

West is currently a team leader at Chick-Fil-A in Frankfort. She started working there two years ago in August 2016. When she began, she worked in hospitality and production. She was promoted to team leader in January 2017.

“I am now involved with the leadership side of roles,” West said. “I am more involved with how a shift is being run. I deal with more than just serving guests, but also the office and leadership roles.”

West has also been involved in training employees at other Chick-Fil-As around the country, assisting in grand openings.

Her favorite part of her job is the atmosphere.

“It feels like you are with your family all the time there,” West said. “It’s because we all have our hearts set on leaving an impact on our guests.”

West said she stays focused on goals for each shift while at work.

“It comes with our mission statement of glorifying God and by doing so we leave an everlasting impact on our guests,” West said.

West plans to major in business administration with a minor in accounting. Her future plans are to graduate from Kentucky State then get an accountant job at a firm in Frankfort or at the Chick-Fil-A headquarters in Atlanta.