BA in Sociology

Kyler Buckner

2020 Dean's Challenge Award Recipient

Having ADHD and OCD meant that communication had always been hard for me, but once I found my voice I never seemed to stop talking. I have done competitive debate for 6 years now (2 on Mason’s team) and have learned both how to confidently express myself and when it is better to listen rather than speak. I was led to Sociology because it allowed me to investigate not just where and why inequality was produced, but also how it is differentially experienced. I try reflect this belief in my classwork, whether it be researching how rhetorical framing of the police legitimizes police brutality in HNRS 110 or studying non-governmental responses to housing inequality in D.C. in my SOCI 332 class. Already, my time at Mason has shown me where my future resides: teaching others just as they had taught me; after graduating, I intend to enroll in graduate school with the eventual aim of becoming a professor.

I have a passion for teaching, evident in both my work at Mason’s Communications Center—where I instruct peers on speech outlines and delivery—as well as my position as an Assistant Debate Coach at Little Rock Central high school. Resisting the temptation of complacency in the face of the world’s vast inequalities as well as acknowledging when my perspective inevitable falls short is no small task, but it is one that I remain committed to because of the invaluable lessons others have taught and continue to teach me.