UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jillian Kerr, a senior majoring in economics and philosophy with a focus on justice, law and values, has been working toward her dream of being an attorney while also uplifting the experiences of fellow Black students at Penn State.
Kerr is the student representative on the Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Transformation (CODIT) in the College of the Liberal Arts, which advises the dean on policies, initiatives and procedures that encourage inclusion and diverse representation among Liberal Arts faculty, staff and students.
Kerr’s involvement with CODIT started because of her connection to Earl F. Merritt, director of the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity in the College of the Liberal Arts. Kerr initially found her way to Merritt’s office while looking for possible funding opportunities to support an education abroad experience during her second year. Merritt helped her secure the funding, and the two have stayed in touch.
“We had a lot in common and just sort of got along; he’s like an adviser to me,” Kerr said. “He’s been able to give me a lot of career and school advice. He understands the struggle as a fellow Black person in academia, and he’s been a great resource to me. He asked me to be on the committee, and I agreed.”
Kerr serves as the sole student representative on CODIT, giving the committee a fresh perspective. She said the committee is currently working on a diversity, equity and inclusion dashboard that is designed to inform prospective and current Liberal Arts faculty, staff, students and alumni and will help with advocacy efforts.
In addition to serving on CODIT, Kerr has participated in numerous out-of-classroom experiences. Last summer, Kerr interned with the Walt Disney Co. She worked in corporate governance with the company’s board of directors and worked under a corporate attorney. One of her big projects was the company’s 2022 proxy statement, which is a document that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission requires companies to provide to shareholders each year.
“I was working on Disney’s proxy, and I had a big role in the director’s skills matrix,” Kerr said. “It was absolutely amazing. It was a great experience. I learned a lot. I met a lot of great people, and I learned a different area of business that I never knew about before. It was very interesting.”
Kerr has been able to apply what she learned through her internship into her coursework as a liberal arts student.
During her first year of college, Kerr took the course ECON 302 Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis, and she found great value in attending her professor’s office hours.
“He really helped me understand the material, which paid off because I did really well in his class,” Kerr said. “He also reminded me that, yes, college was going to be very difficult, but I can do this — I deserve to be here. I am smart, and if I push through and take the time to study, I will be OK. So, I carried the lessons I learned in that class with me throughout college, and now I am graduating, which is wonderful.”
Kerr also took the course AFAM 465 The Post-World War II Civil Rights Movement with AnneMarie Mingo, assistant professor of African American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Through the class, Kerr said she learned a lot about American history, specifically Black American history, that she never knew. She now has a better understanding of her roots and the work that the people who came before her did to help her get to where she is now.
“Dr. Mingo’s actually one of my sorority sisters as well, so that added a deeper layer to why I loved her class so much,” Kerr said.
Kerr is the president of the Epsilon Gamma chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. at Penn State. The sorority is dedicated to leadership development and public service with a primary focus on the Black community, specifically initiatives that positively impact the Black community and improve the conditions of the Black experience in America. The sorority works closely with the national and regional chapters to figure out ways to tackle problems in the local and broader community.
The sorority recently hosted a Red Gala, which included speakers who talked about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and research to educate the community and eradicate the stigma and discrimination of those living with HIV.
“That was a very successful program,” Kerr said. “We raised a lot of money that went to SisterLove Inc., which is a company that funds research, helps survivors of HIV and AIDS, and educates people as well. We had a really good turnout, and the speakers were really informative.”
The sorority also has a book club. Last semester, they read “Pushout,” which is about the criminalization of Black girls in schools and the school-to-prison pipeline.
“We had really good conversations about that book,” Kerr said. “Our demographic is mostly Black women and just Black people in general, so there was a lot of relatability with the book, which was both good and bad. It was good because we were able to come together and discuss the book, so that was definitely interesting and a very good read.”
As president, Kerr sits on each committee to oversee what’s going on within the sorority and offers advice. She also helps organize and plan events and attends every program.
“I don’t do all the work myself,” Kerr said. “I am very thankful because I have a team of wonderful women that I work with every day that plans these wonderful events.”
Kerr said her best experience at Penn State was finding a community that supports her and meeting new people from different backgrounds.
“For example, my roommate is also my sorority sister,” Kerr said. “She lived in New Jersey and now lives in Tennessee. I would never have met her if I hadn’t come to Penn State. I am really thankful that the community was able to bring us together, and I gained many great friendships out of it.”
Kerr also is a member and founder of a dance company on campus called BLK Elites.
“That has been one of my greatest joys at Penn State, to dance with people who love the arts and care for the sport as well,” Kerr said. “It’s been absolutely wonderful.”
To learn about other Liberal Arts Change Makers, visit la.psu.edu/changemakers.