Keeler hopes to hit ski slopes out west

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

A lot of kids plan to go to college for something sports related, whether that be an athletic scholarship or just a chance to be on the team. LCC student Evan Keeler, 20, has a different plan in mind.

“I love skiing so I want to go to college in Oregon,” Keeler said. “It’s a good place to live if you want to ski out west, and it’s kind of a dream of mine.”

Keeler is taking two accelerated courses this summer, Composition I and Human Nutrition, but is always thinking about hitting the slopes.

He is a general studies major but has been posting videos of his stunts on his Instagram page, hoping to gain a following that is large enough to give him a career doing what he loves.

He is sure it will catch on, but until then, Keeler spends most of his time studying. He said he has always been a passionate person and confessed at one point he wanted to be an Olympic gymnast.

“Where other people see risk, that’s where I thrive,” he said. “Doing a back flip on skis or a double, those are the best moments of my life.”

Keeler has a somewhat large family with worldly roots, giving him deep brown eyes and a story to tell.

“My mom’s mom is from Turkey,” he said. “All of mom’s side is Turkish, and Grandma doesn’t speak English very well.”

He describes his own upbringing as pretty average and Americanized compared to his cousins, who speak mostly Turkish and refuse pork for religious reasons.

He describes his mom as the one who chaperoned every field trip and participated in every PTA meeting during his school days.

“She always made sure she was there,” he said. “She is still there for me when I need her.”

Keeler said he thinks he gets his bravery and curiosity from his father, who he said is not only a veteran and a doctor, but now an owner of an urgent care facility that is thriving post-COVID.

He also said he has a little brother named Aaron who makes him proud. Keeler said Aaron is the more responsible one and is definitely someone who knows how to stay out of trouble.

It is a family tradition that all the extended family get together and take a cruise about once every two years. Keeler said these international adventures have greatly impacted his view of the world.

“For example, two years ago, we went to Honduras and went on this excursion where you come off the cruise ship and go snorkeling,” he said. “We were driving to get to the other boat and we got to see the real, third-world Honduras.

“You just know that you are blessed to come from somewhere where people aren’t transferring their water in a bucket from point A to point B. It was a really eye-opening experience to be the one on the bus, and not the one in the rubble watching the seemingly rich foreigners go by.”

Kai Seaman, friend of Keeler, recognizes his friend’s authenticity and said it is a constant quality.

“Evan is never afraid to just be himself,” Seaman said. “He has a level of confidence that not a lot of people in this day and age have.

“We have been friends since forever, around eight years. Evan is probably the funniest person I have ever met. He never fails to make me laugh, even on my worst day.”

Keeler has a deep love for “The Hunger Games” series, his cat named “Athena” and Saturdays. The latter is because he said he knows it’s the day where he is most likely to be caught having fun with friends.

“I try to care for people and care about what I do,” Keeler said. “I try to be as good as a person as I can and stay true to my friends and loved ones. I try not to change based on circumstances or what’s going on around me.

“Everyone wants to be someone they’re not, so I just try to be someone I am.”