Finding Vibrant Community
Student Snapshot: Kiersten Kahn ’26
“I couldn’t ask for a better learning community,” says Kiersten Kahn ’26 (English, Africana studies), a student historian, social media coordinator, intern and WDCV DJ who’s found like-minded friends and mentors on campus. As a student of Harlem Renaissance literature, she helped bring an original Langston Hughes essay to Dickinson’s Archives & Special Collections. As a Trout Gallery intern, she’s sharing what she’s learned about Black American artists and art with local children. She's also gaining valuable skills as a student leader.
Hometown:
Strongsville, Ohio.
Majors:
Africana studies and English.
Clubs and organizations:
Afro-Diasporic & Cultural Collective (historian), Womanist Collective (social media coordinator), WDCV (DJ) and Department of Africana Studies (intern).
Honors/scholarships/awards:
1783 Scholarship, Dean’s List
Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:
The relationships that I have made with other students and with professors. I have found such a vibrant community of friends who share my intellectual and personal interests. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in several clubs and organizations on campus that provide communities for women and people of color. My professors have nurtured my academic passions and grown my confidence in my writing, research and ideas within the classroom. Both my English and Africana studies professors have been excellent educators who deeply care about their students. I could not ask for a better learning community of professors who constantly challenge my thinking and affirm my value as a student and individual.
“Believe in yourself and follow your passions. The rest will fall into place.” –Kiersten Kahn ‘26
Favorite class/learning experience:
This is a difficult question because I have loved so many of the classes I’ve taken here at Dickinson. But my most unique learning experience so far is an English course called Celtic Revival/Harlem Renaissance, taught by Professor of English Claire Seiler. As a class we examined cultural, social and political links between the literature created by Irish and African-American citizens during their respective cultural movements.
This course left a deep impression on me, as I became a more informed global citizen and began understanding the similar systemic oppressions that led each group to develop their unique voices. I also really enjoyed the several research trips we took to the college’s Archives & Special Collections, as my skills in archival research greatly improved.
Our final project consisted of an official proposal to the staff of Archives & Special Collections to acquire an essential text from either movement. The essay that I proposed, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” by Langston Hughes, has since been acquired by Special Collections!
About my internship:
Currently, I am an education intern at the Trout Gallery for the Legacy of Two Centuries of Black American Art exhibition. I research the artists and art objects on display, give tours of the gallery and create lesson plans for the summer children’s programming. My research interests in the representations of Black American aesthetics in visual media align perfectly with this internship. I have learned to use my writing skills and my knowledge of African-American history to educate children in the community about the significance of Black American art and their own identities.
As I kid, I wanted to be …
… an astronaut.
Most important thing I’ve learned so far:
Believe in yourself and follow your passions. The rest will fall into place.
Read more Student Snapshots.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published July 24, 2024