2021-Kelsey Moum
A student who represents the Lafayette Ideal should be guided by empathy to actively approach and work to dismantle systemic injustice by applying the tools they have gained both in the classroom and in their community. I have had the incredible opportunity at Lafayette to join together my formal and informal educations and work towards embodying this ideal. My formal feminist education at Lafayette has expanded my ability to understand multiple systems of oppression and their connectedness. My engagements with Kaleidoscope, APO, and The Queer Archives Project have also afforded me the ability to learn through the personal histories of others. This informal learning has been invaluable to the formation of my perspective. It has also illustrated that my position as a leader can only be strengthened by listening to and then amplifying the voices of others.
This past year has presented a unique opportunity to revisit and examine how I could prioritize empathy as a leader on campus. In my role as a leader of Kaleidoscope and APO, I hoped to first create spaces where we could provide each other with comfort and support. Then, sustained by mutual support we set out to engage with the ongoing activist conversations on campus and in the world. Within Kaleidoscope, my team and I worked tirelessly throughout the summer to support and organize multiple anti-racist education events. APO reflected upon how our engagements within the Easton community intersect with social justice, reorienting ourselves to understand that our learning could never cease if we want to be self-aware community partners. This year of daunting unknowns resulted in my renewed appreciation for the importance of community and mutual support, as well as my personal activism being fueled by continued education, accountability, and deep empathy.
Academic Activity/Award 1:
The Armstrong Award in LGBTQ+ Studies-1-Awarded this year, given to “a student who has made a significant contribution in the area of LGBTQ+ studies through research or a project related to advancing the interests of the community.”
Academic Activity/Award 2:
Queer Archives Project EXCEL Scholar-3-I have had the privilege of working as an EXCEL Scholar on the Queer Archives Project team since my sophomore year. The Queer Archives Project is an interdisciplinary and collaborative initiative between the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department, the College Archives, and Digital Scholarship Services that aims to illuminate Lafayette’s Queer History and inspire future teaching and learning. During my time on The QAP team I have contributed to population of The QAP Scalar website and was fortunate to participate in the launch of the website in the spring of 2019. In addition, I have had the opportunity to utilize the oral histories and archival artifacts found on the website to further my own research surrounding historical spaces of refuge for queer students at Lafayette. I have had the honor of working closely with Dr. Charlotte Nunes and Professor Mary Armstrong throughout my time on The QAP team.
Academic Activity/Award 3:
Independent Study on LGBTQ+ Families and Youth in the Foster Care System-1-I am currently conducting an independent study focused on LGBTQ+ youth and families within the foster care system. This study focuses on both the first-hand experiences of LGBTQ+ identified youth living in foster care and the barriers to LGBTQ+ identified adults seeking to foster and adopt children in the United States. This research has a specific focus on the impact of law and policy on these experiences and aims to understand the history of this topic, as well as the possible future developments. I am very thankful to Professor Silverstein in the Government and Law Department for overseeing this project.
Academic Activity/Award 4:
Iota Iota Iota – National Women’s and Gender Studies Honors Society-2-I was inducted into the National Women’s and Gender Studies Honors Society as a junior.
Academic Activity/Award 5:
Pi Alpha Sigma – National Political Science Honor Society-2-I was inducted into the National Political Science Society as a junior.
Academic Activity/Award 6:
Dean’s List-4-Awarded each semester beginning spring of 2018.
Academic Activity/Award 7:
Oral History Association (OHA) Annual Conference, October 2020-1-Co-presented with the Lafayette Queer Archives Project Digital Humanities Team for “Institutional Transformation Through the Lafayette College Queer Archives Project Oral History History Initiative.”
Campus Service Activity /Award 1:
Coordinator for Kaleidoscope Social Justice Peer Educators-3-Kaleidoscope serves Lafayette’s campus as a group of motivated social justice peer educators who are committed to creating spaces of productive discussion surrounding issues of identity, multiculturalism, and social injustices. I joined Kaleidoscope in the spring of my freshman year and participated as a member until the spring of my sophomore when I then was asked to become a co-coordinator. In addition to monthly current event discussions and frequent workshops with other student groups on campus, Kaleidoscope is a consistent presence at First-Year Orientation, OBC, and Prologue. During the summer of 2020, we worked to create a robust anti-racism program that incoming first-years participated in virtually during their orientation. As a coordinator, I correspond with our partners and organize all of our engagements while also maintaining my role as a peer educator.
Campus Service Activity /Award 2:
Student Representative – Committee for the 50th Anniversary of Co-education at Lafayette-1-I was selected as a student representative for the committee, who worked to plan events to commemorate the anniversary of women first joining the Lafayette community in 1970. As a representative I provided feedback for events focused on current Lafayette students and participated in the shaping of the Lafayette Coeducation website.
Community Service 1:
President/VP of Alpha Phi Omega – International Community Service Fraternity-4-APO has deep connections to Lafayette, as well as with the Easton community. I joined APO as a member during my first semester at Lafayette. I then was elected and served as a Vice President in 2019, and then as President in 2020. In my role as Vice President, I worked with our large group to facilitate team-building and reflection about our community engagement. As President I was tasked with maintaining our connections with each other and our communities throughout quarantine despite a complete shift to virtual communication. This change provided an opportunity to strengthen our ability to communicate in any circumstance and broaden our community engagement to virtual platforms and programming.
Community Service 2:
2019 and 2020 Aaron O. Hoff Awards-2-APO was awarded the Commitment to Service Award in 2020 and the Student Organization of the Year Award in 2019.
Community Service 3:
Volunteer – Landis Center for Community Engagement-4-I have participated in Landis Programs since my first semester at Lafayette. In my first year, I volunteered with YMCA SACC and Meals at Third Street. Since my sophomore year, I have tutored at the Easton Boys & Girls Club working with elementary aged students.
Special Interest Activity/Award 1:
Intern – YWCA Racial Justice Task Force – Union County, NJ-1-During my senior year, I have worked as an intern for the YWCA Racial Justice Task Force in my home county of Union County. In this role I research and prepare materials to host weekly discussions with YWCA staff about topics or racial injustice.