Kelly Bousquette
Georgia College and State University
Kelly Bousquette, a third year student majoring in psychology and sociology at Georgia College, has been committed to improving lives in our community through her work in establishing the Georgia College organization “Students for Change,” which works with the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority in its work repurposing and revitalizing the 2000 acre campus of Central State Hospital. Kelly’s organization makes a very important link between Georgia College students and the larger community. Student for Change’s mission, as Kelly has said, is to “help advocate, fundraise, and aid with the CSLRA projects including the development of a community garden/greenhouse, homeless shelter, rape crisis center, and mental health museum.” To this end, Kelly and her fellow executive members have held fundraisers and have worked with many other organizations on campus as well as with individuals in the community to support Students for Change.
Personal Statement
I founded Georgia College Students for Change, a non-partisan advocacy service organization that gives students the opportunity to connect with local officials, volunteer for public projects, and attend informative workshops, specifically related to the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority (CSHLRA) in Milledgeville, Georgia. Our goal is to help advocate, fundraise, and aid with the CSHLRA projects including the development of a community garden/greenhouse, homeless shelter, rape crisis center, and mental health museum. Through this work, I hope to help bridge the gap between campus and community by giving students the opportunity to understand and empathize with their local community by creating positive change through advocacy and volunteering.
Once I leave GC, I hope to work for a nonprofit or go into corrections to advocate for more reform programs to give the prison population the chance to reenter society with useful skills. I hope I can help change the criminal justice ideology that prisoners should be confined as punishment, and instead enter reform programs to learn to be successful citizens that have purpose through their work.
