WKU News

Lily Martin, a finance major with a concentration in personal financial planning, hails from Owensboro, Kentucky, and her path to WKU was influenced by family ties and a vision for her future. “I toured multiple colleges throughout high school, and I knew I didn’t want to go too far away from home. I visited the campus during the spring, and all the cherry blossoms were in bloom. I knew they had a great business college and finance program,” she recalls.

With both her parents being WKU alumni and owners of a children’s consignment clothing business, Lily grew up immersed in the world of business. Her hands-on experience in the family operation, coupled with guidance from her uncle, a financial planner, helped steer her toward a career in finance in the Gordon Ford Business College. Her two older sisters also work in business roles, which reinforced her interest in the field. “I knew I kind of wanted to go into something in business, and I’ve always had a good eye for math—it just makes sense to me. So combining those with business, math, and money, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll do finance.’”

Lily plans to become a Certified Financial Planner®, and her time at WKU has been an enriching journey both academically and personally. She joined the Mahurin Honors College to push her academic limits and immerse herself in campus life. “I [like to be] academically challenged, and being in Honors gave me a way to get involved on campus. I appreciated the benefits like early registration and the housing, but beyond that, the networking helped me establish a community here at Western,” she shares.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Lily has been an active member of Women Business Leaders, Omega Phi Alpha (a service sorority), and the Financial Planning Association. She also served as a Financial Coach and transitioned to the role of Coaching Program Coordinator her junior year at the WKU Center for Financial Success (CFS), which has been the cornerstone of her Honors capstone project. Through the CFS, she helps students, faculty, and staff with essential financial skills like budgeting, evaluating credit card options, understanding loan repayment, establishing financial goals, and planning for post-graduation life.

Lily’s capstone project focused on overhauling the center’s training program for financial coaches. “We didn’t have much in place—just a few documents and on-the-job shadowing. I researched and interviewed with directors from other universities with similar coaching programs to see how they trained their coaches, what resources they used, and what we could improve.”

Her research led to two key initiatives: a "train the trainer" program, where experienced coaches guide new student coaches through mock scenarios, and a client intake form to streamline the coaching process. Lily also developed a three-tiered expanded training system to focus on onboarding, technological tools, and ongoing professional development. Within each training phase, Lily created documents that outline topics such as financial coaching mannerisms, client meeting preparation and follow-up, and hard skill knowledge training. “Because our office is growing, it was important to have this training program established. We need coaches who are equipped to support that growth and excel in their roles,” she explains.

The CFS, open to all students regardless of major, plays a vital role in the WKU community. Its services include financial education and outreach to classes and campus organizations, making it a dynamic and integral part of the university. “I’m really grateful that this is part of our WKU community, and that I’ve had the opportunity to make a difference,” Lily reflects.

As she looks back on her WKU experience, Lily encourages others to dive into something they are passionate about. “I never would have thought freshman year Lily would be in this position, but I would encourage people to get involved with something where you know you can make a difference. It’s really rewarding.”