Many students never realize how much staff care or how accessible personal connections are at a school like Marquette, until someone opens the door for them. Kennedi’s story disrupts the old narrative of intimidating universities, instead highlighting how proactive outreach, belonging initiatives, and genuine staff-student relationships can create a launchpad for self-discovery and success.

What would your college experience be like if your wildest ambitions were met not with barriers, but with hands reaching back to help? Hear how Marquette and the Wade Scholarship helped Kennedi Luckett not just survive, but truly thrive.

Episode Highlights:

15:15 - I have like 3 quick things for that. One is Urban Scholars. That is my full tuition scholarship and the groups that I'm a part of just for, because Marquette is a PWI… sometimes it is, you can feel a little ostracized at some points. So being able to be a part of a program where there are a lot of Black and brown students who are dealing with the same sorts of things, being able to be seen in that area and have that community is very much needed. And I feel like it would've been hard to do things at Marquette without that space.

21:12 - Put your mental health first. Cause you're not gonna be able to finish college if your brain is not there. Like if you're mentally burned out, it's just not gonna, it's not going to work out well for you. And you're going to be very upset at how you lived your college life if you didn't actually get to enjoy it. Like I said before, it's genuinely like a safe space for you to mess up or for you to fall without being in real adulthood.

25:37 - I would say my We Are moment has been… Marquette gives you the space to really become whoever you want to become and gives you all, like, the outlets you can and to actually, like, live out what you want if you just go and ask someone. So the support that Marquette in general just has… I would say my We Are Marquette moment is definitely the support that Marquette has shown me with all the endeavors that I want to do, even with like the Visit Milwaukee internship… Just giving me different opportunities to figure out what I want to do or like to grow more into what I want to do.

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Steve Blaha breaks down how faith, service learning, and multi-faith engagement converge to build students’ confidence and resilience. He reveals how tough transitions, grief, and personal questioning are met with concrete support, not clichés.

Wondering how a university’s spiritual core shapes students to lead, serve, and heal? Find out how Steve Blaha’s approach to campus ministry sets Marquette apart.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Trust yourselves. Trust your kids. Parents, you got this. You've been doing this really well for 18 years with each of your kids. Keep leaning into that. Keep loving them. Keep giving them space. They're going to grow.

14:16 - Each time one of our students experiences a loss, and many of our students experience very big losses during their time at Marquette, it's just something that we just naturally need to like just wrap them up and support them and care for them and walk with them. And that's not a short-term thing. It is as long as they need us, we really want to be there supporting them.

26:50 - It's part of welcoming everyone in the world to come and study here together, to think on the big questions together, to try to work towards the world's needs together so that when students graduate, they've got that muscle memory. They're able to do that where they live and with whom they work. And that makes the world better. And so we're an important part of that equation.

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In this episode, Kelly Albrecht, CARE Team Case Manager, and Zabrian Oglesby, Assistant Dean of Students, get real about the invisible systems and people that remove student roadblocks, from first-gen challenges to crisis management and CARE teams. If you’ve ever wondered who actually “does the intentional care work on campus,” this is your inside look at the stewards behind student success.

Does your university truly support students, or do invisible obstacles hold them back? Find out which critical gaps Marquette bridges for students, parents, and even staff, plus the stories that seldom get told.

Episode Highlights:

13:49 – Don’t ever forget that. Even if you make a mistake, even if you have a setback, that does not mean you are not a successful Marquette student because you do belong here, and we're going to help you get back on track.

25:57 – Students aren't numbers. They're individuals, and we uphold that all the time. For the spirit of equity, some of those folks need more unique support. Now that student is a junior and is thriving and doing amazing things. That was another time to me where I knew I could hand the care of someone, some individual student, to another person and not feel like it was going to fall. Nobody was going to drop that ball.

22:39 – That was like seeing that in action, seeing that happen. I was like, only at Marquette. That is a Marquette moment where we made that happen. I, in that moment was like, I'm not exactly sure what to do here, but I know we can do something right. But that student is going to go on to do amazing things with their life, and I was just proud of being a part of Marquette University in that situation.

Connect with the Office of Student Development