Kennedy Selbe
Lindsey Wilson College
Kennedy Selbe, a third-year student at Lindsey Wilson College, is passionate about learning from the lessons of history, specifically in regards to how humanity has treated minority groups. Throughout her college experience thus far, she has delved into issues of gender and sexuality and how women, LGBTQ+, and other minority groups are represented in both history and current culture. She is a leader on campus who facilitates biweekly Special Topic Dinners for students to break down misunderstandings about current issues and build bridges of communication between groups of diverse opinions. She is also a leader in the community who serves in the local school system to build programming for children and parents while removing barriers to education for primary school children. Kennedy believes that education and dialogue are the cornerstones of building dynamic and effective solutions to social justice issues and that we cannot help others or craft solutions to public problems until we see, hear, and strive to understand those who are most affected.
Personal Statement
I first became interested in analyzing and studying gender and sexuality when I was in high school and I realized I had never been taught anything about women in my history classes, how gender is viewed and interpreted in today's society, or even a basic sexual health class. When I got to college, I learned that I could study these areas that had been glazed over in my high school education. In my Gender and Women's Studies courses, I learn about how the patriarchal norms that shape society affect women as well as men, and how we as students can educate others and combat these norms. I participate in the Gender and Women's Studies Conference every year by presenting different topics relating to feminist perspectives and presenting solutions to problems that our society faces because of the stereotypes we place on men and women. I also lead open dialogues on campus in regards to current issues so that my fellow students can practice giving voice to their opinions while respectfully listening to the opinions of others. In the future, I hope to become a political advocate for issues relating to gender in public education as well as higher education.
