Brandon Kelley

SFS ’17
Age: 19
Hometown: Rankin, Texas
Major: Undeclared

How does where you’re from in Texas compare to being at Georgetown?
It’s very, very different. For one thing, I’m from a town of 800 people that’s an hour away from the nearest grocery store. Every stereotype you’ve ever heard of Texas is totally true, but only of the area that I’m from. People ride their horse around town and stuff. In that sense it’s very different socioeconomically and diversity-wise, population size. In a lot of ways, Georgetown really was kind of an escape for me, but it also really was an immersion into a bunch of new experiences.

How did you get from where you’re from to Georgetown?
I definitely am very fortunate to be here. It’s something I knew for a very long time that I wanted but never really thought would actually happen. Debate was a really big part of that for me. In the middle of a place that was not very ideologically flexible at all, it gave me a place to explore ideas and also ended up leading me to find out I was interested in IR. Support of my family plus debate is the main thing.

Where do you feel more comfortable, at home or at Georgetown?
Definitely at home. It’s weird and it’s small but it is home. But I also do love being here just because of the diversity is the main thing. There are tons of opportunities and all that stuff, but being around so many people with so many different experiences is great.

How do you think you’ve changed since you’ve been at Georgetown?
The biggest thing for me is having a place to test all of my beliefs, whether that’s religious or political or whatever. Just having so many people around me who are very intelligent but also very open has changed me in the sense that it’s given me an opportunity to hammer out how I feel about different things.

What’s a way one of your beliefs or ideas has changed since you’ve been here?
I guess religiously. My mother is a Methodist minister. I came not at all sure what I believed, and while that’s still true in the sense that I obviously don’t have all the answers, my “Problem of God” class and more importantly the 4 a.m. discussions I’ve had with random friends of mine have led to me, even though I’m not really sure what the answers are, just a sense of how meaningful life is regardless of what the particular answer ends up being.

Interview by Emma Hinchliffe