Alumni Profile: Bethany Kirby
Bethany Kirby’s, A19, path to providing access to quality educational opportunities and to addressing inequity began as a student at Tufts University, where she was introduced to the Jumpstart program, housed at Tisch College. Her passion for this work continued through classwork and co-curricular activities, including advocating for resources for first generation college students like herself. After graduating with degrees in Child Study and Human Development and Psychology with a minor in Education, Bethany returned home to eastern Kentucky where she became a teacher and now serves her community as a Full Service Community School Coordinator with Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) and as a youth librarian at the Wolfe County Public Library.
While searching for work-study opportunities as a freshman, Bethany was introduced to Jumpstart, a national early education organization that recruits and trains college students to serve preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. She was hired as a team leader and would go on to become an integral member of the team, serving many roles and speaking at the national Scribbles to Novels gala. “Jumpstart was really impactful for me, both in the relationships I made and in the skills that I learned… I feel as though it taught me a lot and equipped me to be a teacher, and I am appreciative for that.”
Bethany continued her work with Jumpstart as part of the Tisch Summer Fellows (TSF) program. TSF connects Tufts students from across the university with community-based and national organizations, providing mentorship, networking opportunities, and stipends for mission-driven work. Bethany spent two summers with the program, working with Jumpstart’s headquarters in Washington D.C. and the Fivers Children’s Foundation in New York City, both organizations aimed at addressing issues of educational inequity. “My summers as a Tisch Summer Fellow were incredibly impactful, because never in my wildest dreams would I be able to spend a summer in D.C. or New York City… it was special to me and my family, and a lot of people back home were incredibly proud of that.”
As a first-generation student, Bethany faced challenges transitioning to college life. In an effort to raise awareness and build community around issues first-generation students face, she worked in partnership with university leadership to launch the FIRST Resource Center and the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts (BLAST) pre-orientation program. Bethany’s legacy at Tufts continues through these critical programs today by providing spaces for students to meet and share their knowledge, gain access to university resources, and work through challenges together. “It was really important to find people who could support me and who understood my lived experience… [that] helped me get through and succeed in the long run.”
Bethany accomplished all of this while also serving as president of the Leonard Carmichael Society, the largest student-run community service organization at Tufts, mentoring a local student through Tufts DREAM, and working several campus jobs. “I wanted to do everything that I could to soak up [the Tufts] experience… I wanted to jump into everything I could headfirst and make the most of it. I'm grateful for that all the things I got to experience throughout my four years. I did a lot that I am proud of and enjoyed and that shaped me as a person.” In recognition of her outstanding civic leadership at Tufts, Bethany received a Presidential Award for Civic Life and was inducted into Honos Civicus, the civic honors society, her senior year.
Eventually, Bethany’s Tufts experiences led her back home, “I grew up in rural eastern Kentucky, very poor, [and I] didn't have access to a lot of resources… when I got to Tufts, and I started learning more about educational inequity and inequity in general… I started thinking more about my own life, my own experience, and how education for me was a ticket out of the situation that I was in. Coming home was a really important way for me to take the knowledge and skills that I learned at Tufts, and bring it back to Kentucky and apply it.”
In her current role with Partners for Rural Impact, a national organization aimed at the educational success of rural students, Bethany works in a middle school where she tackles unique issues directly with students and the local community. “A big part of what I do is forming relationships in the community and getting to know people. And I really enjoy that I have the ability to see things firsthand and to get that immediate feeling of, ‘okay, I've helped somebody. What's next? What can I do next?’”