As I was looking for positions, I was graduating with my PhD from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison and it was actually coming back home because I'm from the state of Alabama.
And so I saw this position and I thought this is a really great opportunity to have a position where
I can teach, I can research, I can mentor graduate students, and I can do outreach in communities.
So, it was a great opportunity to come back home and to actually, you know,
do good work in my home state. One in three kids actually experiences bullying. There are a lot
of suicides that happen in the state of Alabama for children under the age of 13 and it was all
bullying related. That's why we have this new law called Jamari's Law that actually like has legal
consequences for people who engage in bullying behavior towards kids. I want parents and youth
to understand how serious the issue is and how people are actually taking their lives because
the issue is so dire. It's different now. And I think it's important for parents to understand
that and realize that and for kids to take it more seriously and step in and be advocates
for other kids. I created this parent publication series called Helping Parents Understand Bullying.
It's from the perspective of not just your kid being the victim, but your kid being the aggressor
and your kid being a bystander. At the end of the day, as a parent, the most important thing is to
help your kid understand that you don't want to be a part of the problem. You want to be
a part of the group of people who's either not contributing to the problem or working in some
way to alleviate someone else's suffering. When I think about what I'm doing in the community,
it just makes me really grateful for the opportunity to be of service to my home state.
I came back home basically to make a difference, make an impact. and I believe I've been able to do
that. My name is Adrienne Duke-Marks and I'm an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in
the College of Human Sciences. I am the recipient of the award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach.