During her years as a Bulldog, Kendree Berg spent much of her time focusing on LGBTQ issues, which made her the perfect candidate for the Ferris LGBTQ Coordinator.
“I think since during my time here, I identified as an LGBTQ student at Ferris, so I know a lot about where this community needs a little extra support from the university and also the areas that it really excels in making them feel comfortable. So I think having that background really allows me to kind of see what our students are going through and make sure that we address their needs,” Berg said.
In 2010, Berg began her time as a Bulldog. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then a master’s degree in social work from Ferris. During her time, she wrote papers and researched LGBTQ issues. She continues to impact the collegiate LGBTQ community as a therapist and now as the coordinator at Ferris.
“Throughout my studies here, I definitely focused on the LGBT community in my research and papers. Currently, I’m working as a therapist in Mount Pleasant. Most of my practice is made up of LGBTQ college students which is excellent and I do work with through Greater Michigan Gender Services with transgender people helping them get started on their transition and get all of those resources together,” Berg said.
As a renewed member of the Ferris community, Berg is excited to start working for students on campus.
“Overall, Ferris does a really great job of accommodating LGBTQ students. There are a few areas where we don’t have express written policy in place but people are always super accommodating so it’s really just making sure that we have everything in writing and that we promise to follow through on certain things,” Berg said. “We’re really talking about making sure that our students know about our preferred name policy, making sure that we are supporting our LGBTQ athletes, making sure that we are supporting our students in the housing environment and making sure that our classrooms are really inclusive.”
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