Kendyl
My name is Kendyl, and I use she/her pronouns. I have lived in or near Mecklenburg County for nearly my entire life. Currently, I live off campus in Huntersville, the place I consider my hometown. My roommates include my best bud Cammie, who is a senior doggo, and some critters, who I rescued from Davidson College’s animal testing labs. You can view my website for the course here!
“Woof!” – Cammie
While I am somewhat new to Davidson, I am also nearing graduation with three semesters left of my undergraduate career. I transferred here in the fall of 2023 from Oxford College of Emory University. In the attached image, you can see my dog and me prior to the Oxford College graduation ceremony. My Associate of Arts was signed by an interim dean since Doug Hicks resigned as Oxford College Dean a year prior to my graduation. You probably guessed that he left Emory University to serve as Davidson College President!
My academic focuses include English (nonfiction, digital media, film/photography, disability studies) and Environmental Natural Sciences (geology, paleoclimatology, mineral resources, policy, accessibility). No matter the subject, accessibility and disability inclusion are two essential practices that I keep in mind. Outside of my studies, I serve as a board member of a disability-focused nonprofit for women/marginalized genders; am currently working on a local accessibility project surrounding public parks and trails; and volunteer for an international climate policy organization.
Hi Kendyl. The Doug Hicks thing is so funny. Do you think he remembers you from Emory? Also, do you have any good locals tips around here?
He definitely does! I worked in his Communications Department as a photographer. My supervisor worked very closely with him. However, he did not respond to my emails upon me informing him I transferred to Davidson. Silly Doug.
As for locals tips, I probably have a lot depending on what you’d want to hear! One of my favorite nearby restaurants is Pho Nam, and Central Ave in Charlotte has a lot of authentic restaurants. There are a lot of cool and relatively inexpensive events that you have to search for, like yoga inside of the Mint Museum, which I enjoy and are less touristy. I look for events on Eventbrite and Charlotte on the Cheap.
Kendyl, I love the look of your site! Also, so amazing that you have a dog that lives with you! I miss my dogs at home every day (even though they are only 30 minutes away)
I adopted her from a rescue I worked at four 1/2 years! She has a very traumatic history and it’s been incredible to see her grow. Shelters are incredibly packed right now, so they are very grateful for volunteers and “daycations” if you’d like get some dog time in.
Hi Kendyl!! It has been so lovely to chat with you in and outside of class the past couple of weeks! I cannot wait to get to know you more. Also, both you and Cammie look absolutely fabulous in that photo!
We both say thank you very much! Cammie is a real charmer. And, I am looking forward to getting to know you as well!
Hey! I think your dog is so cute, Cammie looks so happy in that picture.
Thank you for this kind comment! One of my neighbors recently called her a “walking advertisement for happiness.” The majority of her life has been traumatic, and I am beyond thankful that she now exudes happiness every day.
Hi! I love that you prioritize disability work in everything that you do, I’ve been trying to do that too!
That’s awesome! It’s admittedly hard at Davidson.
Hey Kendyl! My sister is currently a sophomore at Emory! (She goes to the main campus, but as a small-liberal-arts-college-stan, I was definitely bias towards the Oxford campus when I was doing my own college search!) I was also reading some of the other comments and love the idea of doing “daycations” with pets in the shelter! Would love to learn more about this idea—do many shelters do it?
“Daycations” are when you take a dog out for the day and return them back to the shelter during operating hours! Char-Meck shelters do it, as do many rescues. A lot of dogs become extremely stressed in kennels, so this is a great way for them to get out and for volunteers to get to know a more authentic version of the dogs. It also gives high energy dogs the exercise they need as to minimize harm to themselves, which could reduce their chances of being euthanized for space.
Your activities would depend on the dog’s comfort level and the shelter or rescues recommendations. I cannot foster a dog (my apartment complex discourages this by charging obscene fees), so I got my foster application approved and will soon opt for “daycations.” It’s a good option for those who can’t foster, regardless of reason, like college students. Mecklenburg and surrounding county’s are at or overcapacity right now and really need volunteers! It would be a great time to help out.
Cammie is adorable — and so distinguished in a graduation cap! How funny that you and Doug Hicks migrated to Davidson at the same time–good for Davidson! I’m excited to see how you apply your interests in accessibility to your DH Project!