Kalen Russell

University of Central Oklahoma

Kalen Russell, a strategic communication major, has been actively engaged in civic activities and service to her community through multiple avenues and projects. Through uSpeak she has encouraged dialogue and policy examination between police services, civil rights professionals, and students on our campus. Through her efforts, significant progress has been made with respect to opening communication channels between these groups to create a deeper understanding of the work and challenges each experiences. She has also engaged in significant research projects that focus on black students' experiences with campus law enforcement and how we can develop strong relationships between the two.

Don Betz
President
University of Central Oklahoma

Personal Statement

Most biases and injustices derive from being unaware of different perspectives.

Last semester I was an event strategist for uSpeak, a campaign that sought to reduce extremist action through informing student on the necessity of Civil Rights. Most extremist action occurs when the Civil Rights of one group are infringed upon. To increase community awareness on the importance of respecting different perspectives and the rights of others, I coordinated a panel which included a representative from Oklahoma City's Police Department, Civil Rights Director of Council on American-Islamic Relations of Oklahoma, a University Staff member certified in violence de-escalation and Vice President of Black Lives Matter OKC.

I am currently a co-researcher on a project, "Black Students' Lived Experiences with Campus Law Enforcement." The goal of our project is understand if and how a Black student's experience and perception of law enforcement influences their ability to succeed in the presence of law enforcement on a college campus. I hope this project creates a better understanding between law enforcement officials and the populations they serve and serves as the beginning of a national social change.

Kalen Russell
Strategic Communication : Class of 2018
written 2018

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Terrell Saunders, UNC Greensboro Lizbeth Morales, Univeristy of North Texas at Dallas Evelyn Denisse Monreal Pitones, Universidad de Monterrey Mikita Thompson, University of Baltimore Jayda Williams, University of Central Arkansas Madeline Mills, University of Central Florida Kalen Russell, University of Central Oklahoma Wanjiku Gatheru, University of Connecticut Sarah Richard, University of Dayton Liliana Diaz-Solodukhin, University of Denver Krista Smith, University of Florida Mariana Grijalva, University of Houston-Downtown Marvin Slaughter, University of Illinois at Chicago Alix Fisk, University of Kansas Cynthia Corona, University of La Verne Taryn Jones, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Stephanie Milani, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Josue Rivera Valdez, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Faith Boone, University of Miami Anna Maria Genovesi, University of Michigan-Flint Jennifer Mossgraber, University of Missouri - St. Louis Sophie Moon, University of Montana Spencer Whyte, University of Mount Union Cassandra Griffin, University of Nebraska Omaha Daniel Suber, University of North Carolina Asheville Sreevidhya (Vidhya) Balasubramanian, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Katherine Rasmussen, University of North Florida Brittaney Dyer, University of North Georgia Ashley Sánchez, University of Northern Iowa Prathm Juneja, University of Notre Dame Sabine Brown, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa Heidi Lee, University of Pennsylvania Matthew Bell, University of Puget Sound Victoria Stabile, University of Rhode Island Alicia Jiggetts, University of Richmond Josefina Jaramillo, University of San Diego Daizha Green, University of South Carolina Tiana Burgess, University of South Carolina Beaufort Michael Sullivan, University of St Thomas Wendy Hoang, University of Wisconsin - Madison Yoger Aguilar, University of Wisconsin - Parkside Zoe Betancourt, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Sydney Mastey, University of Wisconsin-Superior
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