Kenzie Ellis
Hometown
Highland Park, IL and Charlotte, NC
Major/Minor
Sociology/Anthropology and Spanish
Campus Activities
Athletic Department student worker, Men’s Basketball manager, Women’s Lacrosse, and any other Athletics odd jobs (very ironic for someone who is INCREDIBLY nonathletic)
Hobbies
I’m ALWAYS meeting new people and making new friends on campus. I also am always hunting for weird art, new music (vinyl or digital!), and working on improving my Spanish.
Why did you choose to come to Lake Forest College?
I started at LFC my sophomore year as a transfer student, after a bad first year at a state university. It wasn’t a good fit for me, so I checked out LFC, which was basically in my backyard since I live in Highland Park. My transition was totally easy, and I’ve been loving LFC ever since.
Why did you want to be a First Connection Peer Mentor?
I knew I wanted to have some sort of role welcoming incoming students to the LFC community, and picked First Connection. I’m always the “mom” of the group, so I knew I had to put those talents to good use. On a bigger note, I care a lot about making sure underrepresented students get the welcome and the support system they deserve!
What academic advice do you have for our incoming First Connection mentees?
Talk to the adults! The professors, cafeteria staff, administrative faculty, etc. are all working here to help YOU. Talking to them opens up so many doors for you, personally and academically!
What do you advocate for?
My biggest focus is intersectionality- how race, class, gender, ability, nationality, and sexual orientation interact with social status, accessibility, and the environment etc. As a sociology student and as a human being, understanding the depths of these topics never ends. I’m always learning more!