Athena Pajer

KAMRYN HARRIS

Meet the hometown volunteer, the team player, the social activist. By Athena Pajer

Many students jumped to the forefront of the fight for social justice in the past year. Through charitable work, event organization, and activism, entrepreneurship major Kamryn Harris became a campus leader and ally. Harris, a junior, has been part of the Millikin community for some time but has grown more outspoken in the recent months.“I finally branched out,” Harris says.

“I was like, ‘Okay, I have to use my ideas somewhere.’” These ideas concerned some of the most pressing issues at Millikin and around the country: voting rights, supporting the homeless, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Harris connected with several leaders in the Decatur area to host social justice events, including a large Black Lives Matter march down Main Street in October, a voting drive in late October and

November, and a coat drive for people experiencing homelessness.

The coat drive was a collaboration between “Shoes to Fill,” an organization Harris helped found, and Millikin’s chapter of Alpha Phi

Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Helping the Decatur community is important to Harris because she grew up near here. She was born and raised in Argenta-Oreana, a two-village area nearby with a population of about 1,750. Growing up, she also spent a lot of time in

Chicago, where her father lived. 18 BURST

“I think seeing and being in that environment that was so advanced compared to Argenta-Oreana, it was like, ‘Wow, this is what it’s actually supposed to look like,” Harris says. “And this is how people actually get along. And I learned that from a very young age.” Harris adds that she was blessed to be exposed to the Chicago area and her dad’s diverse set of friends. This, she says, set a good example for how to get along well with people from all types of backgrounds.

Influenced by the idea of diversity and inclusivity, Harris worked hard to be part of her high school Honors Program, which allowed her to travel to Europe. She was also proud to volunteer with the Special Olympics.

However, high school was also a difficult time for Harris. That was when her social anxiety became a significant barrier. She slowly learned to cope in various ways. “If I were to say anything to anybody who has anxiety, I would just tell them, you know, ‘Find ways to cope with your overthinking,’” Harris says. “I read a lot about it.” Another way she copes is to “schedule” her thoughts. One doctor told her, if an intrusive thought comes at an unexpected time, mentally saying, “I’ll schedule you for 9:30” can make these thoughts easier to manage. It has helped her a lot.

Sometimes, the social anxiety still bothers her, but it no longer impedes her ability to run events that matter. “Even when I’m attending these social events, and I’m doing interviews or speaking to people, there’s so much going through my mind, but when I’m in the moment, I’m really dedicated,” Harris says. “I’ve just really taught myself to slow down and think about what I’m dedicated to, and how I want to address that.”

When Harris isn’t at an event, she’s trying to have conversations that matter. In her small, conservative hometown, her viewpoints do not always match those around her. “I just think it takes a lot of time and a lot of understanding and talking to people because you can’t just have your opinion and not hear theirs out, even though you don’t agree with them,” Harris says. “We still have to hear the other side, even though you don’t want to.”

Harris continues to care deeply about her hometown, and she hopes to continue to help in the future. “I hope to graduate and go back and be a mentor, to go back and have some conversations with them,” Harris says. “But overall, I’d like to tell people, I think a lot of people there, you know, really have their heart in a good place for the town. I think they really want to see the town thrive, and they all have good ideas. And I just hope to be the person that puts those ideas out there for them.”