Student Spotlight - Kennedy Alexis

Kennedy Alexis

Q: What is your current class standing and anticipated graduation date?

I am a senior and I'll be graduating this May 2019.

Q: What are your major(s) and/or minor(s)?

I majored in philosophy with a concentration in business management, and a minor in health and nutritional sciences.

Q: Why did you choose to become a philosophy major?

I decided to take the fall 2016 semester off from school because I was uncertain about the direction I wanted to take for my college career. During my time off, I would always be pulled toward philosophical readings by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Seneca. After deeper reflection, I decided I wanted to learn about life. Funny enough, the headline on the Brooklyn College's Philosophy Department webpage was "Find the Meaning of Life at Brooklyn College,” and I then knew this was the place for me.

Q: What are your goals for the future? Do you have plans to attend graduate school or do you have a career in mind upon graduation?

I was accepted to the University at Buffalo's Master's in Urban Planning program, so I will be attending UB this fall. I am concerned about the development and sustainability of undeserved communities, so as an urban planner I plan to create conscious infrastructure, which will support the economic, human, and social sustainability in these communities. I am not exactly sure what that looks like as of yet, but that's what graduate school is for.

Q: What are your interests in philosophy?

My interests include social, political and moral philosophy. Unfortunately, I do not have a specific figure of interest because there aren't any singular beliefs in philosophy that I hold. I treat philosophy like a sport, I enjoy the process of reading different works then synthesizing it to apply greater understanding to my life and the world that I live in.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote by a philosopher?

I do not have a favorite quote, but one topic I always revert back to is Alain Locke's view on pluralism. I enjoy his views on pluralism because he saw pluralism as a functional base. I think that too often people are worried about who or what is right or wrong, when those are not the questions necessary to cure societal issues. Pluralism challenges us to understand the underlying similarities in values, opinions and actions of people, and I believe that if pluralism was truly grounded in politics, there would be less of a need for emotionally manipulated based politics. I love the philosophy of pluralism because it forces understanding between people, which I believe is fundamental to preserving equality in a diverse society. I also enjoyed reading W.E.B. Dubois' criticism on Hampton University, which basically states that the black person is never truly respected because they are forced into extremes—either too intellectual or too physical. Dubois believed that the black individual needed a little bit of both to be whole and once he or she was whole is when they would be respected. This idea also speaks on pluralism, but in the context on individuality, saying that black individuals do not need to be either or, its healthy for them to have a little bit of everything—to be individualized. At least that is the understanding that I grasped.

Q: What is your favorite book in philosophy?

The Education of Black People, by W.E.B. Dubois, and Turning Confusion into Clarity, by Helen Tworkov and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Q: Have you had any recent accomplishments such as conferences you attended/presented at, awards/scholarships you have received, contests you have won, publications you have made, and so forth?

I was offered the Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship, which is a fully funded scholarship offered by State University of New York for graduate school. I relaunched Brooklyn College's Black Solidarity Day Committee, which held a successful three-day event to celebrate Black Solidarity Day on campus, with over 120 students, staff, and black professionals in attendance. I was a part of the 2018 Isrealead fellowship, which granted me a trip to Isreal with the different Hillels across CUNY. This academic year I was awarded the BC Black Faculty and Staff Scholarship, and the Soul Lyons Memorial Scholarship.