WKU Sociology & Criminology Alumni Profiles

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Alexa Hatcher '17

Alexa Hatcher graduated in May of 2017, ten years after initially beginning college. During her journey through higher education Alexa moved to other states, tried out many jobs and a couple of different technical and community colleges. She then made her way back to where she started at Western Kentucky University. She had taken this time as part of self-discovery and realized that sociology was where she belonged. Alexa majored in sociology and minored in citizenship and social justice.

While she was an undergrad student Alexa completed two internships and a sociological research study using a FUSE grant. One of the internships she completed was with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, a statewide, grassroots organization that works with people to fight against social, environmental and racial injustice. She completed the six month long Community Organizing Academy and used training she learned while there to help people understand their personal stories related to different social issues.

Currently, Alexa works as the Economic Justice Organizer with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. She began the position in January 2019. She uses the organizational and communications experience she gained during her internships and as a part-time Voter Empowerment Organizer with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and part-time farm employee of Need More Acres Farm. As a Voter Empowerment Organizer, she organized canvasses, phonebanks, and social gatherings to register and encourage voters to use their voice at the polls. Alexa’s work at Need More Acres Farm built skills of community gardening by helping to produce food for area schools and other places throughout Bowling Green.

One of Alexa’s favorite memories from her time at WKU is when she and other fellow students created a sustainable food forest at the Barren County Detention Center. Over the course of a year, they worked with incarcerated women to grow food that was used in the jail kitchen and the surplus was used at the Bunche Center soup kitchen. “We learned so much about food justice in that class and about how important social and environmental sustainability is in our communities.”

Alexa’s advice to current and prospective students is to never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. No matter where a student comes from or what their social background is, every student has unmeasurable potential to be successful. She also advises that completing internships and making connections can help you in job searches in the future. “It might take some time, but it definitely helps to meet the people you want to work with and establish those connections as early as possible.”