WKU Sociology & Criminology Alumni Profiles

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Kristina Gamble '09 & '15

Kristina Gamble received her bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor of criminology in 2009. She then continued her education in the spring of 2015, and went on to graduate with her master’s degree in sociology. During her time at WKU Kristina also completed an internship at a law firm local to Bowling Green, KY.

In 2015, Kristina became the Student Success Coordinator for the Intercultural and Student Engagmenet Center (ISEC) Academy at Western Kentucky University within the University’s Division of Enrollment and Student Experience. ISEC was founded and remains largely supported through the efforts of Cynthia and George Nichols III (another WKU Sociology Alum).  Kristina worked there from the week she completed her MA in Sociology until Fall of 2020.  Currently, Kristina is the Director of the Black Cultural Center at Berea College. 

In these positions, Kristina considers herself an advocate. She enjoys being able to pursue her passion of providing outreach to underrepresented and underserved student populations in higher education. specifically  regarding her hands-on work with students of color in the ISEC Academy's four-year mentoring program at WKU. Kirstina states “Our college navigation techniques that we have utilized have brought our planning and goals to fruition. Every student who visits our center I knew by name. My position with ISEC made me proud to be a WKU graduate with an opportunity to give back to students the way others did for me on the Hill.”

Kristina first discovered her passion for this type of work after taking an introduction to sociology course during her undergraduate career. She fell in love with the discipline and quickly decided to become a sociology major. She was inspired by Dr. Drummond’s recollections of her research in Medellin Colombia. The impact of environment and socialization was amazing to me. “I found myself wanting to use Sociology as a tool to understand social systems in order to be an effective agent for change.”

Kristina points out that a sociology degree can take you on various different career paths. Her advice to current and prospective students is to determine which path makes sense to you. She encourages students to find professionals in the career they are interested in and to ask them questions. Kristina advises, “Ask them about their path to their position. Ask them about whether getting a graduate degree or work experience brought them where they are at in their field. Be a visionary.”