Renee Purdy, Outstanding Student, MA in Social Responsibility  Sustainable Communities

My name is Renee Purdy, and I am graduating May 1, 2021 with my Master of Arts in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities Program in the Sociology Department. I work at WKU as an Office Coordinator in the Department of Theatre & Dance as well as Gender & Women’s Studies Program in the English Department. One of the most rewarding elements of being at WKU has been to be Chair of the GWS Scholarship Committee. It meant so much to see students working so hard on their college education while overcoming so many hardships at the same time. I have also had the great honor of leading so many wonderful student assistants in my time at WKU. I have seen so much growth in these students as they matured through classes and through their jobs at WKU, it has indeed been an honor to witness that growth. Learning about community building and our ties to each other has made such an impact on me while in the SRSC Program, as I now know that when problems arise (as they sometimes do), communities can come together to work on solving the issues at hand, together. After graduation, I would love to take a nice long vacation.