Kana Turben never expected to be an online-only college student.

Nor did she expect the significant life changes brought by the COVID pandemic.

Nor did she expect to work full time right out of high school.

So, it follows that she never expected to be named the 2024 Naomi Osborne Scholarship winner as the graduating senior with the highest GPA at Indiana University East. She will lead the Class of 2024 at Commencement, which begins at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 9, outside Whitewater Hall.

“I just did my best and it was a pleasant surprise,” Turben said about earning the prestigious award.

A surprise because she felt as if she was going to college “in her own bubble. It’s hard to tell where you stand online.”

She definitely stands tall. The 22-year-old resident of McCordsville, Ind., came to campus for the first time when she was honored on April 18 at Honors Convocation. She has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and also minors in Communications and Neuroscience.

Turben said an online education allowed her to work at her family’s preschool business while earning her degrees. She mainly does office work, but also enjoys helping children as a teacher and as an afterschool tutor.

“When I had to decide on a college, it was the year COVID began. It was a little crazy,” she said. “I stayed to help my family. It was convenient to what was going on in the world.”

IU East made it convenient to be an online student. She accomplished a lot of coursework during two hour breaks at the preschool.

“It was a lot less intimidating than I thought it would be. The teachers were a big help,” Turben said. “It’s paced for a working person. I am grateful it was paced the way it was.”

She’s also grateful about the opportunities to interact online with fellow students.

“We had a lot of group projects,” she said. “Deadlines are a little easier to work around.”

Being busy has been a staple for Turben since graduating from Hamilton Southeastern High School in 2020.

She loves a variety of art forms. She does oil painting and wig styling – and would like to draw cartoons and also to put together storyboards for movies and videos.

“I like the creative aspects of most things,” she said. “I like doing my own thing. I have a lot of hobbies because I get bored very easily.”

Turben credits grandmother Alicia Suarez with sparking her creative side and her mother, Elizabeth Isonhood, for pushing her to be the best.

“She always made me do the extra work,” Turben said. “That really helped build my drive.”

So, what direction is she leaning toward now for a career after graduation?

“I am thinking of the psychology route,” she said. “I’d love to work in forensic psychology.”

She’d also consider working in art therapy with children or doing a creative job in the entertainment industry:

“I like entertaining people (and) I like helping people.”

Graduate school is a definite possibility: “I’ll see what the job pool has in store for me. If I find something that needs a master’s degree, I probably will pursue that.”