网曝吃瓜

Keanna Caldwell 鈥�16 Embraces a Community of Giving

Kanna Caldwell, a 2016 alumna of 网曝吃瓜, was raised by a single mother who taught her the value of serving others and the importance of community.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would have been if not for the people who supported me all my life,鈥� shared Caldwell, a native of Hendersonville, N.C. 鈥淚 grew up in a family who was very service-oriented. Both of my grandmothers were active in civil rights, so I always knew service was going to be a big component of whatever I did.鈥�

When she started her college search, she only looked at Christian schools. Her mother suggested 网曝吃瓜, and Caldwell discovered GWU had everything on her list. 鈥溚�曝吃瓜 was checking off all the boxes for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was small and had the sense of community and Christian character I wanted.鈥�

Once on campus, she started to find her place in the GWU community. She became involved in different organizations and helped to start a Campus Civitan club, serving as vice president. The focus of Campus Civitan is helping those with developmental disabilities and engaging in service projects. She also participated in GWU鈥檚 human-trafficking awareness club, Release the Captives, and was a member of FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians United in Service), a campus ministry involving teams of GWU students who visit local churches to provide programs for youth groups.

Through her involvement in these clubs and participation in her classes, she developed lasting friendships. 鈥淚f you are looking for somewhere you can grow spiritually and have meaningful and impactful bonds, 网曝吃瓜 is the place to find it,鈥� she observed. 鈥淵ou will get the nurturing you need. You will find a mentor and develop close relationships with people.鈥�

Caldwell majored in psychology and minored in American Sign Language
(ASL). Since graduating, she has worked two terms with Americorps. Her first term was with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 鈥淚t was the most life-changing experience I have ever had,鈥� she asserted. 鈥淚 did a range of things, but the most impactful was disaster recovery in Texas after Hurricane Harvey. It was some of the most brutal work I ever did, but it was definitely fulfilling.鈥�

In her second term, she worked as a school engagement coordinator in Asheville, N.C. She served as a mentor and a tutor, helped in classrooms, and was the volunteer coordinator and facilitator for an afterschool program. She enjoyed getting to know the children and giving them the support they needed to succeed in school.

Because of her work with Americorps, she plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree at the Institute for Global Learning in Portland, Oregon. The degree will prepare her to manage a non-profit organization. Her ultimate goal is to work with children who have intellectual disabilities. 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to work with children, because I鈥檝e never liked seeing kids suffer, especially since I was from a difficult background,鈥� Caldwell affirmed. 鈥淲hatever I can do to prevent other kids from suffering, that鈥檚 what I want to do.鈥�