Kelley Coakley

As a non-traditional student, I am currently in my third year at Regis University.  I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and spent the early part of my academic career attending Milwaukee Area Technical College. I was heavily involved in the community there; working as a tutor at the downtown campus, I taught a diverse student body about the benefits of maintaining good study habits and attempting to make intro to physics as fun as it could be.  I was also an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America Milwaukee Chapter as the education committee officer when the chapter got off the ground.  I attended a variety of events educating the citizens of the inner city of Milwaukee about the dangerous lead levels within the water and what measures could be taken in order to protect their families.  This work invigorated my desire to give back to the communities that have so strongly impacted my life.

I chose Regis University because of their dedication to social justice issues.  I am majoring in Neuroscience and Philosophy, and have spent much of my time working on projects that lift up people that have been historically left behind, and investigating ways that allow for their agency to expand.  I was fortunate enough to have collaborated with Dr. Becky Vartebedian and other students to write a chapter for the book George Yancy: A Critical Reader, which will be published this year. Together we critically analyzed Dr. George Yancy’s work on black subjectivity in America and the ways in which transforming the transcendental norm of being white in America can enhance the agency of black America. 

I have also worked with neuroscience professors on projects that teach undergraduates the health benefits of meditation and how the brain utilizes various mechanisms during meditation.  Not only have I advocated on campus for the benefits of good mental health practices, I am working with Dr. Jamey Maniscalco to look at the neuronal mechanisms of anxiety and stress responses in response to a variety of diets, specifically chronic food restriction.  This work has allowed me to truly understand how a balanced life can lead to a thriving individual.

I am planning on attending an M.D./Ph.D dual program upon graduation.