Kyle Bissell ’24 was a hair stylist for more than a decade. Despite long hours on his feet, he did his job well and enjoyed making his clients look good. But something was missing.
He felt this most keenly when working with clients who were college students. He listened to them talk about their classes and their dreams, and he realized he had dreams, too, that weren’t necessarily set in a salon. Then, he listened to his heart, applied to college and left hairdressing behind. Inspired by dedicated Siena faculty who opened his eyes to injustice in the world and lit a blazing fire in him to do something to address it, he just finished a summer legal internship and is heading into his senior year with a double major. Next stop? Law school.
When Kyle graduated from high school, his family was going through a lot of turmoil. As part of the household fallout, Kyle needed to leave home and find a way to earn a living – quickly.
“What does a gay kid from a small town do? You conform to the stereotype and become a gay hairdresser,” he explained. “Back then, the social climate was different and it was easier to dismiss and limit someone if they were gay.”
He attended a local beauty school then went to work at different salons in New York City, San Diego and the Capital Region. Sometimes it was rewarding, but the salon gossip and drama were tiresome, and he kept thinking there was something different he should be doing with his life.
“I was contributing mostly to what people looked like on the outside,” he said. “I didn’t think I was making a healthy or positive contribution to society, and I wanted to take my life in a different direction.”
College seemed like a logical next step. He took some classes at community college, an experience that was overshadowed by a major mix-up with financial aid forms (not Kyle’s fault).
He applied to Siena based on its size and reputation as a solid liberal arts school, and what he perceived as the opportunity to access academic support if he needed it.
His first semester at Siena, he took a class with Annie Rody-Wright, J.D. that explored topics related to social injustice. It made a tremendous impact. Suddenly, Kyle knew what he wanted to do with his life.
“I knew to some extent that racism, discrimination and inequality existed in our society, but I didn’t understand how deep they actually ran,” he said. “It was all there, hidden in plain sight.
Professor Rody-Wright was fantastic, and her course really enlightened me. It absolutely made me want to pursue justice as a career.”
He started out as a psychology major, then switched to social work knowing he could use this background to support his efforts in the social work field. When Siena recently added a restorative criminal justice major, he took on those courses as well for a double major. His passion for social justice as a new Saint was also supported by other Siena faculty. Kyle said Kristin Miller, Ph.D., professor of psychology, ensured him that he did indeed belong on a college campus, on those days when he asked himself if he had made the right decision to earn a degree.
“She was so supportive and kind in so many ways. Dr. Abbey Willis and Dr. Laurie Naranch have also both been substantial in helping me turn off my inner saboteur as far as academic research and performance are concerned. The entire social work department has become beyond supportive in every way possible any student could need.”
This past summer, he served as a Summer Legal Fellow at Western New England University’s Center for Social Justice, where he helped underserved clients – people he says are “punched down by institutional practice” – navigate the debt collection process and seal old criminal records. He also researched restorative justice topics to help inform plans to offer alternative corrections programs for school districts in the area. Siena’s summer legal program is coordinated by Leonard Cutler, Ph.D., professor of political science.
As he finishes his bachelor’s degree this academic year, he’ll be exploring law school programs to begin in the fall of 2024 that offer an accompanying master’s degree in social work or criminal justice.
Being of non-traditional college age hasn’t been an issue for Kyle, who is 36 and a commuter. In fact, he said he’s made a lot of friends on campus; friends who are also finding their own professional passions and learning to believe in themselves and what kind of difference they can make in the world.
“There’s power in arming yourself with knowledge,” he said. “You never know what you can achieve or what you will learn about yourself until you try. Siena is a very tight-knit community that supports students who want to bring their heart and soul to something.”