Hi! I'm Kelsey, a junior English major who has had a crazy academic journey, including over a decade's worth of performance poetry experience. I'm proud of the detours I've had to take to get here, and UMD has definitely helped steer me in the right direction. If you're interested in opportunities on and off campus, especially if you're an adult undergrad student trying to juggle bills, work, and school, I can share my journey with you and give you tips I didn't initially have when I got here. On campus, you can usually find me in Tawes, the Art & Sociology Building, the Driskell Art Center, or at any of Nyumburu's events. Off campus, I'm usually somewhere in D.C. performing, whether that be Busboys and Poets, the speakeasy on 600 T Street, live music events in Southeast, or at open mics closer to campus. Feel free to contact me if you're looking for a tour of campus and the surrounding area, or if you're interested in the arts community out here!

Hometown

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Major(s)

English Language and Literature: Creative Writing

Clubs, organizations & involvement

RESEARCH ASSISTANT, Office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities — Supported Dean Stephanie Shonekan’s research on American History and Music from 1946-2000 (Spring 2026). GUEST PERFORMER, UMD Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir — Performed in a production of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with 970+ in attendance (Spring 2026). GUEST PERFORMER, UMD Arts for All — Participated in American Anthems: Reflection on the Nation’s 250th Anniversary (Spring 2026). TEACHING ASSISTANT, ARHU158R: We Are The World: The Arts and Humanities of a Single Song — Assisted Dean Stephanie Shonekan’s course (Fall 2025). GUEST PERFORMER, College of Arts and Humanities Faculty and Staff Convocation — Performed “as told by a Germantown Griot” for 170+ attendees, including Provost Jennifer King Rice and Dean Stephanie Shonekan (Fall 2025). Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society — Member (2025-Present) TerpPoets & Spoken Terp Poetry (2024​/​2025) Nyumburu Cultural Center Juke Joint Performer (2024​/​2025)

Describe your college experience

I've had a very interesting experience thus far. I'm a 30-year-old undergrad student who transferred from Montgomery College and felt excited yet worried about attending UMD. I was excited because I had a plan: As an adult student with over a decade of performance poetry experience, I wanted to open myself to every opportunity the school gave me, within reason, of course. Despite the challenges of juggling bills, work, and classes, I’ve connected with graduate students, faculty and staff, the Dean of Arts and Humanities, my fellow undergraduates in English courses, and more. These connections turned into Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant roles under Dean Stephanie Shonekan. They have also helped me refine my degree to align with my career goals, paved the way for me to enroll in a graduate poetry workshop during my undergraduate studies, and expanded my community. I’m currently facing financial difficulties as I near the end of my undergraduate journey. However, after these past two years at UMD, it’s clear that my intentional efforts to discover and build a sense of community here have and will pay off, helping me cross that stage with pride.

Tip for future students

For future students, be deliberate about the people you connect with during your college years. Don't treat every interaction as a transaction. Create genuine relationships with like-minded and not-so-like-minded people. Manage your time well. Create a schedule for yourself. Avoid overworking yourself or taking on more responsibilities than you can manage. It's okay to say "no" or "not right now." Lastly, if you need financial aid to get through college, your best bet is to speak to someone in the Financial Aid Office. Stay on top of that. Do not wait until the last minute to make sure you're getting as much aid as possible.

Favorite class

So far, my favorite class has actually been the independent study on Prosody and Poetics I did last semester with the same professor who taught my Creative Form and Theory class during Fall 2025, Dr. Joshua Weiner. The independent study continued the ongoing dialogue within myself, encompassing my poems, classmates, and the essays and books I had read throughout previous semesters. I wanted to expand my understanding of the way sound, rhythm, meter, and verse movement work to heighten the emotional experience of poetry. Dr. Weiner and I's work consisted of reading Robert Pinsky's "The Sounds of Poetry," Devin Becker's "What's Good: Notes on Rap and Language," various craft essays, poetry collections from Christopher Gilbert and A.H. Jerriod Avant, and any other writers who piqued my prosodic interests. We met every two weeks to discuss my readings, notes, scansion exercises, and poems I drafted while doing my study. By the end of our time together, I became even more inspired to continue my work as a storyteller who finds my voice in rap, nurtures it with jazz, and offers it as poetry.

Career goals

I aspire to continue my career as a performance poet while expanding my professional horizons by teaching creative writing in high schools, youth detention centers, and universities. With graduate work on the horizon, I'm interested in pursuing my MFA and possibly my Ph.D in my field. I’m also interested in the hands-on, practical work of tradesmen, particularly electricians and drywall specialists.

Ideal way to spend a free night

Depending on how extroverted I feel, an ideal free night would be at an open mic at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville or my friend Ife's Smoke N' Word live music and poetry events in Southeast, D.C. If my social battery is drained, I'd much rather spend a free night at home, working on unfinished music in my home studio.

High school or secondary school

Watkins Mill High School

Previous college

Montgomery College

Favorite spot on campus

My three favorite spots on campus are the Art & Sociology Building (and its library), the David C. Driskell Center, and the Nyumburu Cultural Center. I’ve spent a significant amount of time studying in the Art & Sociology Building and attending events at the Driskell Center and Nyumburu. As a poet, I need to be surrounded by various forms of art and Black cultural productions. These environments ground me and inspire the work I do outside of academia.