About the Scholar
Kirby Phillips (they/them) is a current Ph.D. student at Wayne State University in their Department of Communication. Kirby began their Ph.D. studies in 2021 following the completion of their M.A. in Communication Studies at the University of Alabama. Prior to entering academia, Kirby had earned a B.A. in Social Relations and Policy from Michigan State University and worked in politics and grassroots organizing. The same passion and inclusive goals that led their previous career now pushes forth their research to center non-dominant groups in communication scholarship.
My Story
My journey in academia begins, like many, with genuine curiosity and passion for the things I study. Initially I got my M.A. to be a stepping stool in my political career after facing burnout from organizing and wanting to change the way I was involved in grassroots politics. Thus my M.A. focused heavily on organizational communication, but while there I discovered new ways my passions worked with the communication discipline.
The empathy and orientation towards inclusion that drove me to work in politics is still grounded in my work as it continues to drive me to center many peoples in my work that have been marginalized in society and continually re-marginalized through how they are studied in scholarship. From neurodivergent social media content creators to romance novels, I love looking at and elevating communication artifacts created by and for non-dominant groups and their impacts on identity and community building. With an ever changing physical and digital landscape, the opportunity to study these artifacts are endless and I look forward to a long future of doing just that to get a more nuanced, intersectional, and inclusive understanding of the world around us and our part in it.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
269-363-2980