After just three years of study, Reinhardt University Senior Kip Ryle graduates this May, with a Bachelor of Arts in History a Certificate in Museum Studies, and Summa Cum Laude honors. Ryle is in the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, Alpha Chi academic society, SHARP scholar program, and has a 4.0 GPA.
“Involved” is an understatement when describing Ryle. Outside of class, he is on the Student Government Association executive board as Vice President of Student Activities, interns at Scarborough Center, is a Resident Assistant, an Admissions Captain, has a work-study in the library and is President and Founder of the Reinhardt LGBTQ Alliance. He interned for the Trail of Tears program with the National Endowment for the Humanities and volunteered at the Funk Heritage Center where he helped design exhibits and classes and an audio tour for the Sellars Gallery of Historic Hand Tools.
Ryle has an upcoming lecture at the Funk Heritage Center and gave two presentations at the Convocation for Arts and Scholars. “I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities from Reinhardt,” he said. “It’s someplace you’d really like to be involved in.”
In his free time, Ryle loves being outdoors, hiking and spotting wildlife, or on a rainy day, doing needlecraft.
Ryle graduated high school during Covid and was impressed that Reinhardt was the most prompt and friendly school to respond to his admissions and financial aid inquiries. “I felt like people were actually concerned about my education and livelihood,” says Ryle, “Just before school started, I met Dr. Wheeler, an American history professor, and was immediately sold. All the professors here are really good and supportive. People really care about me and saw my potential. I feel appreciated.”
After graduation, Ryle will work full-time at Reinhardt as the Assistant Director of Prospect Research and Records Management. He will be responsible for all levels of records management such as donor biographic, demographic, and giving information with a focus on quality, research, and analysis of complex information. His work is key to honoring donors and documenting their impact on Reinhardt. “I am blessed to have this ideal opportunity that fits my passions. I chose a history major because I like our past and what it can tell us about our current and future events. I like doing people justice through their stories. I want to advocate for people through history and archives to take care of people’s legacies, whether they got recognized in their lifetime or not,” said Ryle. “I’m very happy I get to give back to the university after I graduate. This campus is home.”
