Overview:
Kayti is originally from Tennessee, USA, traditionally Yuchi, Shawanwaki/Shawnee, and Cherokee East land, and attended university in Galesburg, IL, traditionally Potawatomi, Kickapoo, and Peoria land, at Knox College.
At Knox, Kayti obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies, with minor areas of study in Educational Policy Studies and Spanish. As part of this course, Kayti was able to travel to various countries, including Peru and Cuba, and conduct anthropological and sociological work. Through participation with La Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurímac in Peru, and the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba, Kayti has participated in interdisciplinary study focusing on the intersections of identity, culture, language, and politics.
In 2018, Kayti moved to Galway, Ireland to pursue postgraduate study in the National University of Ireland, Galway, as part of the 2018-2019 cohort of the MA in Culture and Colonialism. As part of the coursework, Kayti was able to attend the Development Studies Association Ireland Annual Conference 2018, The Nexus Between Development, Peace and Fragility. For the thesis dissertation, Kayti focused on post-colonial identity formation and expression, particularly within contemporary Irish popular music.
Presently, Kayti is pursuing the MSc in Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security in the hopes of finding employment that is meaningful with a focus on community development. Areas of interest include habitat restoration and rewilding for biodiversity, indigenous food systems and maintenance of land-races, community land trusts, and disease ecology.
Influences:
You might be wondering how these areas could possibly be connected…
Growing up in Tennessee, Kayti was exposed to ideas of wildlife management and stewardship from an early age. These early experiences of planting crops for wildlife (corn and soy for whitetail deer, milo and millet for doves, quail, and turkey) as well as best practices for herd management have influenced Kayti, and programs such as Hunters for the Hungry have started to connect their myriad of varied interests.
While attending Knox College, Kayti also had the opportunity to attend an intensive program in Jackson, MS, partnered with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. As a part of the program, Kayti was exposed to the New West Jackson Cooperative Community, a community focused on building relationships with community members through farming, and inverting traditional views of ‘community development’ from external actors. This experience also began to bridge areas of interest and reveal a pathway to change: community land trusts.
As a result, the MA in Culture and Colonialism seemed like the perfect opportunity to synthesize everything! However, it was heavily theory based. One professor in particular changed everything with a course bridging the political economy of development and cultural approaches to development, with a strong environmental theme. More connections began appearing; now with a strong foundation in cultural theory, it was time to enter a ‘career’….but a lack of scientifically-grounded knowledge and skills were holding Kayti back from finding a role in the future sustainable transition of local economy, environment and society…
Enter the MSc CCAFS! Now hopefully, you have a better grasp of the intersections between the seemingly distant realms of culture, colonialism, and the environment, and how they all fit together as a part of this educational journey.