06/12/2025
Meet the Class of 2025: Lisa Kennedy (C’25)
Lisa Kennedy (C’25) grew up in the same house her father grew up in. Her grandfather was raised in a home just down the road. Today, nearly all of Kennedy’s extended family lives on that same road.
Kennedy is a fifth-generation resident of Rhinelander, a town in northern Wisconsin with a population of 8,000 people situated among the region’s countless lakes, streams and rivers.
Growing up, Kennedy was told that if she wanted to be successful in life, she had to leave her hometown and never come back, that there was no opportunity in rural communities like Rhinelander.
Her teachers encouraged her to think big for college. That meant Kennedy’s dream school, Georgetown, a place to pursue her passion in history and politics. But she knew Washington, DC, would be a stark transition from her life in rural Wisconsin.
“I couldn’t help but think of everyone I was leaving,” she said. “My teachers, who juggled multiple jobs so we could have both a history teacher and a hockey coach. My classmates, who went on to lead our local businesses and community organizations. My family, who taught me everything I knew.”
“Their lives were filled with an inherent value that I couldn’t seem to reconcile with the conception of rurality I’d been taught.”
Four years later, at the end of her Georgetown journey, Kennedy no longer believes Rhinelander is a place to leave behind. It’s a place that she wants to serve and see thrive. It’s her home.
“What was driving me to go to college was I wanted to advocate for people who have often gone overlooked. I felt like we had been overlooked, and that resulted in a lot of resentment,” she said. “I understand why people feel that way, but I think there’s real value in rural places and rural people. I wanted to change that narrative when I felt that change in myself when I came to college.”
Read more about Lisa's Georgetown experience: https://g.town/4dLcQfT
