KEVELIS Matthews-Alvarado is an Afro-Latinx scholar, activist, artist, Lehigh alum, and cofounder of ICRES. Kevelis holds both a BA (2020) in Africana Studies and Health, Medicine, & Society and a MA (2021) in English from Lehigh University. At Lehigh, Kevelis was the President of the Black Student Union, a gryphon (resident assistant), staff member at the Pride Center, a LUSSI student guide for first-generation students, Martindale scholar, and teaching assistant for the hip-hop theater class ‘Act like you Know’. During their time at Lehigh, Kevelis earned a myriad of different awards.* Additionally, ever since her first semester at Lehigh, Kevelis has been working as a student-activist and has been involved in organizing various student-led movements which sought to disrupt and address Lehigh’s institutional violence against its’ marginalized students, faculty, and staff.
Following the protest of the institutional mistreatment of a black woman professor, in 2019, Kevelis and other student leaders met with Dr. Alang and Dr. Jimenez-Garcia who would go on to propose and eventually build what would become the Institute on Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at Lehigh University. Ultimately, for Kevelis, research, scholarship, and art are inextricably connected embodiments of activism.
In May 2022, Kevelis concluded work as a pre-doctoral research associate at ICRES curating and managing the ARTCHIVE OPENING EXHIBITION.
*Change Agent Award, Bosey Reiter Leadership Cup, Ujima Award, Williams Prize, Allegiance Award, Advocate Award for multicultural student leadership, Allegiance award, Student Achievement Award (LALS), and the Class of 1904 Award