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Alumni

Charles Kay


Class of: 2020
Hometown: Chicago, IL
School: College of Arts and Science
Major(s): Public Policy Studies


Charles Kay engages in community service to find sustainable solutions to critical issues relating to race and class. Through his academic studies at Vanderbilt and community service in Nashville, Charles explores his interests in policy, politics, and philosophy, and further develops his conceptions of equity, justice, and impact. 


Before coming to Vanderbilt, Charles spearheaded multiple service initiatives to address widening Chicago Public School educational disparities based on race, and organized students to advocate for more school funding in Chicago. While at Vanderbilt, Charles has explored his interest in improving education outcomes for disadvantaged youth by serving as a literacy tutor for kindergartners through Pencil Reading Clinics, and as a financial literacy mentor/tutor for high school students through MoneyThink. During his junior year, Charles co-founded Vandy One For The World, which motivates undergraduates to pledge 1% of their future income to highly effective charities fighting global poverty. 


In the summer of 2017, Charles completed an Ingram summer project with the Chicago City Treasurer’s Office. Among other things, Charles helped the office host 19 community conversations about economic development, and assisted ten micro-grant applicants, resulting in $7,500 going towards actionable ideas around community improvement. For the 2018 summer, Charles returned to Chicago for another Ingram summer project, this time in partnership with the University of Chicago Urban Labs.