William "Garrett" Bell
Fall 2018 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Mayfield, KY
College: University of Kentucky
Degree: B.A. Political Science, B.A. Sociology, Minor: Economics
Garrett Bell graduated from the University of Kentucky in the spring of 2018. Upon graduation, he was named as the Most Outstanding Senior in Sociology and the Most Outstanding Senior in the Hebrew Language. While an undergraduate student, Garrett was heavily involved in the Baptist Campus Ministry, where he served as a freshmen and upperclassmen ministry leader. He also had the honor of interning at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and participating in Alliance Defending Freedom’s Areté Academy.
However, Garrett’s most meaningful involvement was with the UK Student Government Association. As the Director of Safety, he was responsible for hearing the safety concerns of his fellow students and connecting with university and city officials to find practical and effective solutions. Partnering with the UK Transportation Services, Garrett helped develop a free, late night transportation program for on- and off-campus students. He also sought to combat issues of sexual assault on college campuses through programs such as Take Back the Night and It’s On Us.
It was through this work that Garrett became both extremely burdened by the prevalence and impact of sexual violence, and passionate about supporting those who are victims of sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. Garrett assisted the Violence Intervention & Prevention Center in acquiring funds to help victims on UK’s campus pay for temporary housing and parking passes in the event of recent sexual or domestic abuse. He also served on a committee made of faculty and staff that revised UK’s administrative policies regarding sexual violence, domestic violence, harassment, and stalking. After the John Jay Fellowship, Garrett plans on pursuing a law degree to advocate for those affected by these issues.
Though Garrett has enjoyed his time at UK, his studies have been absent of discussions concerning origin, purpose, justice, and destiny. Garrett hopes that the John Jay Fellowship will assist him in his pursuit of Truth. Not that he will be handed the answers to society’s toughest questions, but that he will learn the crucial tools necessary to further think for himself, all the while being grounded in a community of prayer and accountability.