When a very young Kerry Kincy roamed the halls of Middlesex Community College in the early 1980s, little did she know the experience would later give her the confidence to move forward with her life and career.

Growing up in the neighborhood where Middlesex now stands, Kerry remembers building forts and walking the trails behind the campus. In those halls, she and her sister took advantage of free movies there on Wednesday nights. And because this familiarity grew into a sense of comfort with the school, it also gave her the confidence to enroll as a student in the general studies program after high school.

This newfound motivation fueled Kerry’s love of learning. While at Middlesex, she signed up for a “portfolio development track,” where she was able to earn credit for both work and life experience. In particular, her instructor, L.E. Tronco, gave her the encouragement she needed to bring value to her life. She also praised her statistics professor, Stephen Krevisky, as “amazing.”

After graduating from the college in 2002, and while working part-time at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Kerry fell in love with the arts. This inspired her to enroll at Trinity College in Hartford. As an adult learner, she was hired to work in admissions which was an experience she found to be less intimidating and gradually gave her even more confidence. She wandered aimlessly at first, exploring many different classes, but then designed her own major in learning, movement and social development. Through this unique program, she discovered how dance and movement could connect a love of learning with the arts.

Kerry later rounded out her education with a master’s in community psychology from the University of New Haven, as well as completing a certificate program in expressive and creative art therapies from Salve Regina University.

Along the way, Kerry had the privilege to work with troubled young women at the Children’s Home of Cromwell as part of her thesis. Her specialized class allowed them to find trust and respect by performing their stories through movement, giving a voice to express struggle by connecting mind and body. She provided similar counseling at schools, senior centers, and even prisons. This therapeutic program became known as Telling Voices.

Today, Kerry works as an expressive arts therapist, providing children and adults in underserved areas of the community with the opportunity to explore creative expression. She is a core faculty member with the Shared Abilities Dance Ensemble, where dancers with and without physical disabilities work in partnership to create performances.

Learn more about Telling Voices.