WKU Sociology and Criminology Alumni Profiles

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Colleen Wynn '11

Dr. Colleen Wynn graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2011 with a major in Sociology and minor in Communications Studies and masters in Sociology in 2013. While attending WKU, she studied abroad at Harlaxton College in the fall of 2008. After earning her BA and MA from WKU, she completed her PhD in Sociology at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) in the summer of 2018.

Currently, Dr. Wynn is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Indianapolis. She also serves as the graduate program director for their Master’s in Applied Sociology and co-director for the Community Research Center on campus. Within Sociology, she studies urban sociology and family demography. 

One of her favorite things about her job is being able to share sociology with her students. She says, “I had such wonderful professors at WKU that were so impactful in the development of my sociological imagination and taught me so much about sociology and the world in general.In my current position, I get to pay that forward by cultivating some of these same skills and sharing similar experiences with my own students.”

During her time at WKU, Colleen was able to create countless memories and learn many skills within the halls of the department which she still uses to this day. She mentions that she uses many examples from Dr. Groce, Dr. Daday, Dr. Lovell, and Dr. Musalia that she incorporates in her very own classroom. From Dr. Lovell teaching her how to share the data they collect in their research back with the communities, to Dr. Drummond being the first person to teach her how to do research, she says these are “Experiences I so value getting to pass on to my own students now.” Dr. Smith was one of the people who encouraged her to go to graduate school and Dr. Kanan was the first person who taught her about urban sociology. Dr. McClain was her MA thesis advisor and taught her what it means to be a supportive advisor to her own students. She says, “You can see, I quite simply wouldn’t be the person or sociologist I am today without WKU and the faculty there!”

Colleen’s advice for college students who aspire to work in the field is to think about what you love to do and figure out how sociology can help you get there, how it can help you see the world in new and different ways. Some questions she mentions you should ask yourself are: Do you need a graduate degree to do the work? If so, what kind? Dr. Wynn says, “Talk to your professors early and often about your goals. And, choose the graduate programs that have people that care about you and your success.”