A Place to Grow and Make a Difference

By Jennifer Hetzel

I came to Killeen in the summer of 2000 a resentful 15-year-old frustrated at the prospect of starting over in a new town (again). My family moved every year or two growing up, so I had a serious case of teenage angst for having been uprooted only a year into high school. Despite my trepidation, I soon learned that my new community was very welcoming and there was no shortage of opportunities to get involved and make a difference.

Upon arriving in Killeen, I attended the recently completed Shoemaker High School. After graduating in 2003, I worked full time for a few years while attending Central Texas College. After a few years, I decided it was time to finish my degree, so I quit my job in 2008 (as I would later learn, in the middle of a recession) to attend CTC and Texas A&M University-Central Texas full time for the next two years. During this time I worked at CTC as a Student Ambassador.

In 2010, the grant funding my department was ending and the college was looking for creative ways to continue funding these positions. After brainstorming with other staff at the college we came up with a novel idea: hold a mini comic-con style event at the college’s Planetarium. We called it Geekfest, a “celebration of all things geek.”

A lifelong geek myself, I was particularly excited to help create a space for others who shared common interests. The event was a hit and grew over the years, adding programming (and often celebrities), attracting more attendees and raising thousands of dollars for scholarships. The name changed to Epically Geeky Expo in 2019 and the event will resume after the pandemic. It is gratifying to know I was part of creating such an impactful event while raising money for college students.

Upon completion of my bachelor’s in 2010, I started work full time at CTC in the Continuing Education Department. During this time I continued serving on the “Jedi Council” for Geekfest; became a commissioner for the Killeen Arts Commission; volunteered with the USO as a costume character at family events; helped plan and run robotics competitions; volunteered as an ambassador at the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce; and became a founding member of the Greater Killeen Young Professionals. The opportunity to engage in such a wide range of causes taught me a lot, and helped me grow personally and professionally.

I was hired as the Director of Strategic Communications at the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce in 2014. In 2017, I transitioned to economic development as the Director of Research for the newly created 14 Forward campaign. Both positions have allowed me work on projects and with local leaders that have had a profound impact on the community.

Environmental sustainability has always been a passion for me, and in 2017 I started a group called the Centex Planeteers to help educate the community on this topic. The group meets monthly to hear from a speaker and talk with others who are interested in learning about sustainability. I also started a podcast called Sustainably Geeky in 2018 to reach a wider audience. It has been extremely rewarding for me to help and meet others who share my passion through these outlets.

If you want the opportunity to grow as a person and make a difference in the world around you, Central Texas is the place to be. This community inspired me to reach higher and try things I am not sure I would have had the courage to try otherwise. The encouragement and support I have received over the years gave me the tools I needed to create two of the things I am most proud of, Geekfest and the Centex Planeteers.

Central Texas has a special place in my heart. This is where I became an adult, bought my first home and made friendships that will last a lifetime. This place gave me the courage to try new things and be bold. These lessons have given me the courage to start a new chapter in my life and pursue my dream of attending graduate school overseas to study sustainability. I begin that pursuit this summer.

This is a bittersweet time for me, leaving the place that has been home for my entire adult life, for something entirely (and literally) foreign. While I will miss this place-and more importantly, the people — I can leave knowing I left my mark on the community that has given so much to me. I believe I will always be a “Central Texan.”