Senior Kelsey Burns’ home on campus is the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center.

Burns holds the position of Presentation Coordinator for RSVP Peer Educators, a program that trains students on sexual assault issues. She is also a teaching assistant for the Peer Educators training course. She said she holds these positions very close to her.

During her very first weekend on campus as a freshman, Burns said, she was sexually assaulted. Following the incident, Burns said she became frustrated because her year became more difficult.

“I wasn’t involved in anything my freshman year because I had to work through my own struggling and I had to figure out how to best take care of myself,” Burns said. “And I wasn’t doing that, I was doing the opposite of that. I was doing everything that wasn’t good for me.”

Burns ultimately decided to get involved with the RSVP Educators after listening to a presentation given by one of the members.

“I just thought, ‘Wait, there’s a whole center for this,’” Burns said. “‘People are saying that this isn’t OK. I thought that what happened to me wasn’t OK, but there’s a whole center dedicated to educating the campus about how this isn’t OK. I need to know more about this.’”

Her involvement doesn’t stop with the RSVP Center.

Including work at the Psychological Services Clinic, Burns also currently serves as a Proud Tigers Mentor and Safe Space Trainer at the LGBTQ Resource Center. She was an organizer for Take Back the Night and even finds time to participate in a few dance groups on campus. Burns was recently named a recipient of the 2015 Mizzou ’39 Award.

But Burns isn’t involved just to build a resume. She said working at the RSVP Center and being able to participate in something she cares about is much more important.

“Honestly, it doesn’t look that great to put all the different stuff that I do on my resume because it kind of freaks a lot of people out,” Burns said. “I think it’s a lot easier to sell yourself and a lot easier to grow and become better in your field or area if you’re doing something that you really, really care about and relating it to the work you want to do.”

Kayla Jackson, a graduate assistant at the RSVP Center, said Burns is a great advocate for sexual violence prevention work.

“She has done great things in the RSVP Center as an educator, and I’m sure that her social justice lens will be a helpful addition in her future careers,” Jackson said.

Burns said that even when she is feeling frustrated and discouraged at the end of the day, her passion for these issues always draws her back in.

“I love it,” Burns said. “This is absolutely what I want to do with my life. I can’t imagine spending my time doing anything else other than sitting in the basement of the Student Center all day, working on this stuff and talking to people about it and having courageous conversations with people constantly.”

Burns said that having these difficult dialogues with people and watching them grow is part of what she loves so much.

“Through that, I myself grow and that will make me better in whatever I decide to do in my life,” Burns said. “I think it’s so invaluable how important that is; to be involved in something you’re passionate about.”