TRAIL HOT ON THE

Stories by Abbi Jones & Kaylee Clu - Design by Luke Stocking

Stories by Abbi Jones & Kaylee Cluff || Design by Luke Stocking

Channeling her passion for dance into her full-time job at AmeriCorps, McKelynn Barber has stayed busy since graduating from Dixie State University last spring. After commencement, she spent the summer interning at Jacob’s Pillow, a dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts. Now, as part of AmeriCorps in the ArtistYear branch, she gets to spend every day with children from various backgrounds and facilitate opportunities for them.

“I love working with the kids and seeing them evolve over the course of the time that we get to spend together,” Barber said.

Looking back on her time spent at the University, Barber has many fond memories. One that particularly sticks out is one of her lifelong friendships. In fact, she met one of her best friends through a caring professor who could tell Barber needed a friend. Since then, the friendship between the two has flourished.

Busy schedules are something college students are very familiar with. Fortunately, Barber was able to structure her schedule in a way that allowed her time to join the Multicultural Inclusion Student Association.

“Joining MISA not only gave me the opportunity to attend events, but also put me in the thick of the most anticipated activities on campus,” Barber shared. “I got to work and become friends with motivated, caring, and kind activists.”

Now, as Barber’s career unfolds, her passion for dance has never been a question. “We all know that we’re not going to make a whole lot of money from what we want to do, but we have to create art,” she said.