Katelyn Barnes

Fulbright-Queen's University Belfast Postgraduate Award in Global Security and Borders

Katelyn graduated from the University of Dayton with a B.A. in Human Rights Studies and Sociology. She became involved with research early as an undergraduate, finding ways to ask curious questions about gender in each project, including those with her campus’s Women’s Center, Human Rights Center, and Psychology department.

During her undergraduate career, she worked with an advocacy organization in Washington D.C. as a policy intern, where she focused on promoting the passage of legislation advancing global gender equality to congressional representatives. At Queen’s, in the spirit of her interest in studying gender and advocating for women and girls, Katelyn plans to study the effects of Brexit and border legislation on women and girls in Northern Ireland. She sees education and research as a form of advocacy and hopes to become a professor specializing in women and security studies after her education. Her goal is to continue engaging in research and advocacy in a multitude of ways beyond her career, and to work with organizations like the United States Institute of Peace and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. In Belfast, Katelyn looks forward to exploring the city’s museums, seeing the peace walls, enjoying live music, and learning about the city’s history through the stories of those she meets.