Dr. Korey Kilburn’s journey began close to home. Now a mathematics professor and coordinator for the Aeronautical Sciences program at PennWest Edinboro, his path started right here on campus years ago. Attending PennWest Edinboro initially because it was local, his involvement with the wrestling team started almost by chance, running into an assistant coach he knew. Encouraged to join, he began the demanding life of a collegiate athlete. "Everybody knows it's hard. It's like a full-time job," he acknowledges. But wrestling wasn't his only focus. Alongside intense training, he embraced other diverse experiences as well: working on a farm milking cows and bailing hay, learning French and spending a year as an exchange student in France, and later teaching English in Ukraine. "I was never afraid to kind of... go through the open door just to see what would happen next," Korey explains.

His approach wasn't solely about winning on the mat. "When I came to Edinboro to wrestle, my mentality really wasn't... a winning mentality. It was just a learning mentality," he reflects. "I felt like learning how to wrestle was a part of my education at Edinboro." This philosophy of continuous learning and resiliency defined his path. He emphasizes that success doesn't come easy, pushing back against the perception that accomplished individuals "just lucked out." He reminds students about the unseen effort: "those late nights where you're studying... You're trying to learn it yourself... it takes years and years."

Perseverance was crucial. Of the wrestlers who started with him, only three completed the full five years. "It's sometimes just a battle of attrition," he notes. "You have to persevere." After PennWest, this drive led him to advanced degrees from Miami University and the University of Akron—including a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Math—eventually bringing him back to PennWest as a mathematics professor. He even found a new way to stay connected to combat sports through Jiu-Jitsu, starting a club on campus. "I think what I like about Jiu-Jitsu the most is you can do it into your older ages," he says, adding, "It's very cerebral, not just physical."

Now, as a professor coordinating the Aeronautical Sciences program and teaching complex subjects, Dr. Kilburn helps students see the value in PennWest's approach of providing career-focused learning designed to put ambitions within reach. He actively shares his perspective with students, stressing the importance of embracing challenges: "Don't be afraid to fail at something because the growth happens in the failure."

His journey—from local student-athlete exploring diverse interests to dedicated faculty member fostering a learning community—highlights how PennWest empowers individuals to continually learn, adapt, and achieve ambitions they might not have initially envisioned.