From promoting Northern Kentucky University’s ASL (American Sign Language) club through social media to podcast to co-hosting a podcast for her history capstone, graduate student and NKU alumna Karly Kursell is a tireless advocate for her interests. Currently working on her masters in public history, Kursell is passionate about education and outreach. To acknowledge her efforts in and outside of the classroom, the NKU Valkyries have named her one of four awardees for the group’s annual Wise Women celebration.  

Kursell has been learning sign language since before she could speak, which led her to study the language as an undergraduate. 

“My parents taught me when I was a baby,” she says. “I was able to say things like, ‘I want more food,’ or ‘I want water.’ Babies can pick up on ASL a lot more quickly than spoken language. When I found out NKU offered ASL courses, I thought it sounded amazing.”

As a sophomore, Kursell learned about NKU’s ASL club, which was inactive at the time due to lack of attendance. With support from ASL lecturer Annie Welch, Karly and her sister offered to help re-establish the club as officers. As social media coordinator, she set up new accounts for the club, designed posters and announcements for upcoming events events, documented gatherings, and showed up to other ASL events in the Cincinnati area as a representative from the university. 

“So my sister and I have kind of been like diplomats for the NKU ASL club into the deaf community, and it's been really exciting,” she says. “We've definitely made a lot of connections and friendships through it.”

As a history buff, Kursell also seeks to make her academic interests accessible to a wider audience. 

Alongside her sister, she co-hosts "The Wiseman Genealogy Show" podcast, which focuses on two musicians from Spruce Pine, North Carolina: Scotty Wiseman, a famous singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s, and his cousin Frank Wiseman, a lesser-known but equally gifted musician. Kursell aims to make history accessible and engaging, exploring the musicians' lives and legacies. She enjoys the creative process of podcasting and the opportunity to share historical narratives in a more dynamic format than traditional methods.

“That's bee a really exciting adventure for myself, being able to get some history out on a different platform,” she says. “Not everyone's into reading or sitting down with a book or article, but a podcast you can listen to anytime."

In 2023, she also participated in an internship at the Fort Thomas Military and Community History Museum, where she and and fellow student help to overhaul its walking tour. They gathered new materials, wrote new content, and even took photos for a virtual version of the tour. Later, Kursell was asked to record a voiceover for the guided tour.

“Over winter break, I recorded, edited and pulled all the information together to do the walking tour,” she says. “Hopefully this summer, that will be ready to go, and I'll be the new voice of the Fort Thomas walking tour.”

Karly Kursell's dedication to ASL, history and community engagement has left a significant mark on NKU and beyond. Through her work with the ASL club, podcasting and historical projects, she makes knowledge fun and accessible. Her passion and initiative solidify her place as a true asset to the community.