Birmingham native Kellyn McMahon is a true blue and orange girl. She was born and raised in Auburn by her parents who were both Auburn graduates. “I never applied anywhere else!”
McMahon graduated from Auburn with a bachelor's degree in nursing in 2008. She worked as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at UAB while acquiring her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner at UAB (2011). Since her graduation, she has worked in internal medicine and nephrology. In 2014, she got her doctoral degree in nursing practice (DNP) from the University of Alabama. “Although I have graduated from the three big universities in Alabama, Auburn has my whole heart,” said McMahon.
“Attending Auburn was the best four years of my life,” said McMahon. “Nursing school was hard. My college roommates and I often still talk about how we wish we could go back to college for just a bit longer! Auburn prepared me well for my NCLEX, and for my master’s journey at UAB.”
How did the book, Touchdown Auburn, come about?
“I have two young children, currently 5 and 3, and early in 2020, when my son was three years old, I thought of the possibility of taking him to his first Auburn game that fall. Due to COVID, I was unable to do so, but he did get to go to his first game in 2021.
“I have always enjoyed using books as a teaching tool and so I needed the perfect book to teach my kids all things about ‘Auburn game day’. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in bookstores and decided to write one myself. I grew up going to Auburn games, know all the game-day traditions, and I love Auburn! When I resolved to create a book, I had NO idea what I was getting into, but it was a fun activity! The publishing process — getting approvals from the university, layouts, fonts, etc. — took nearly two years to have a book in hand. Each step along the way had to be approved by Auburn University.
Touchdown Auburn which captures the game day experience, is available in local bookstores and at www.touchdownauburnbook.com. A portion of the proceeds go directly to the Auburn University Scholarship fund. There are plans for McMahon to have a book signing at the University Book Store for the homecoming game this year.
