S1E3: Breaking Barriers: How One Scholarship Changed a Life with Kennedi Luckett

Can a single scholarship transform someone’s college journey and maybe even their entire future? Kelly Albrecht sits down with Marquette’s first-ever Wade Scholar, Kennedi Luckett, for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on what true support and opportunity can look like on campus today.Many students never realize how much staff care or how accessible personal connections are at a school like Marquette, until someone opens the door for them. Kennedi’s story disrupts the old narrative of intimidating universities, instead highlighting how proactive outreach, belonging initiatives, and genuine staff-student relationships can create a launchpad for self-discovery and success.What would your college experience be like if your wildest ambitions were met not with barriers, but with hands reaching back to help? Hear how Marquette and the Wade Scholarship helped Kennedi Luckett not just survive, but truly thrive.Episode Highlights:15:15 - I have like 3 quick things for that. One is Urban Scholars. That is my full tuition scholarship and the groups that I'm a part of just for, because Marquette is a PWI… sometimes it is, you can feel a little ostracized at some points. So being able to be a part of a program where there are a lot of Black and brown students who are dealing with the same sorts of things, being able to be seen in that area and have that community is very much needed. And I feel like it would've been hard to do things at Marquette without that space.21:12 - Put your mental health first. Cause you're not gonna be able to finish college if your brain is not there. Like if you're mentally burned out, it's just not gonna, it's not going to work out well for you. And you're going to be very upset at how you lived your college life if you didn't actually get to enjoy it. Like I said before, it's genuinely like a safe space for you to mess up or for you to fall without being in real adulthood.25:37 - I would say my We Are moment has been… Marquette gives you the space to really become whoever you want to become and gives you all, like, the outlets you can and to actually, like, live out what you want if you just go and ask someone. So the support that Marquette in general just has… I would say my We Are Marquette moment is definitely the support that Marquette has shown me with all the endeavors that I want to do, even with like the Visit Milwaukee internship… Just giving me different opportunities to figure out what I want to do or like to grow more into what I want to do.Connect with the Office of Student Development