Born: April 24, 1987 in Atchison.

Family: Husband, Kevan; daughter, Quinn (8 1/2 months); and dog, Wicket. 

Occupation: Director of youth ministry at Tonganoxie United Methodist Church. Welsh also is a licensed master social worker.

Dream job as a child: Dancer on Broadway, which she said still is “kind of a dream.”

Interesting fact: Welsh said she is obsessed with drinks from Sonic, or as she calls them, “Sonic bevs.” Welsh also danced competitively for most of her childhood, especially with Allison’s School of Dance in St. Joseph, Mo., performing tap (“my favorite”), jazz, and ballet.

Digging deeper: A 2005 Hiawatha High School graduate, Welsh graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology from Baker University. She was inducted into Psi Chi (the honorary fraternity of psychology) and was a teaching assistant for general psychology and counseling courses. She presented a paper she had written about a proposal for a sexual assault education program at the Psychological and Education Research of Kansas Conference in 2004. She remains active in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. She also sang in the concert choir, played the clarinet in the Symphonic Winds and was involved in an on-campus group that advocated for survivors of sexual assault.

She then graduated summa cum laude from Kansas University with a master’s in social work. She worked with children and families in the foster care system in Kansas City, Mo., and then moved on to work as a family development advocate in Leavenworth. She started part-time as director of youth ministry at TUMC in January 2013. In June 2014, her hours were increased and now she works exclusively at the church.

Outside of work, she sings and plays piano in the church’s praise band. She is an alumni adviser for Phi Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. And, she’s an alumni mentor for the parMentor program at Baker, in which she advises a young woman who is a psychology major also interested in ministry/counseling. She’s a member of the PEO-AT chapter in Tonganoxie and currently is participating in the Southern Leavenworth County Leadership Development Class.

She met her husband on eHarmony. They lived less than a mile from each other in Lenexa when they met. They moved to Tonganoxie in November 2011 and immediately knew that it was where we would be staying for years to come. 

She loves crafting and do-it-yourself projects. The couple also has a music room in their house and loves to attend concerts of their favorite bands, Needtobreathe and Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors.