On April 1st, the Kansas Free Press (KFP) will mark its 6-month anniversary. With gratitude for the Kansans who nobly commit their time and talents to citizen journalism, we are celebrating our upcoming half-year anniversary by proudly showcasing each of our own KFP writers.
SHAWNEE, Kan. - In this profile, we are honored to introduce KFP correspondent, Amber Versola. A lifelong Kansan, Amber was born in Salina and grew up in Galva, Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where she played rugby, was active with the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and the Oliver Hall Government, serving for one year as its community service co-chair. She's currently continuing her education working towards a bachelors in political science from Fort Hays State University.
While living in Lawrence, Amber served on the Take Back the Night steering committee for three years and has given numerous speeches about domestic violence and sexual assault. She served as secretary for the Lawrence chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Residing now in Shawnee, she is the current president for the newly formed Kansas City Metro NOW chapter. She was recently selected to attend the National Breast Cancer Coalition's Emerging Leaders conference and lobby training in Washington D.C.
Amber's son, Isaiah, is a central focus in her life. She says, "He is amazingly kindhearted and makes me laugh every day. I truly enjoy watching his personality develop. As a single parent, I often take him along on many of my activist endeavors. I love the character and sense of social awareness that these events have helped him develop." One of her favorite quotes is from Frederick Douglass, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
Her life is full. She's a full-time parent, a full-time student and works at two different jobs. One of her jobs involves working with homeless and runaway teenagers at a homeless center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Amber explains what motivates her to stay involved in community projects, "I am passionate about social justice, in particular women's issues (they are really human rights issues), sexual assault, domestic violence, equal access to healthcare, and the rights of working parents and caregivers. The most important lesson I have acquired as an advocate is that it isn't about me or my experiences, it is about the human rights cause. When I keep that in mind, I have a greater chance of succeeding for the greater good."
In her spare time, Amber loves spending time with her family and awesome friends, lobbying, shopping, meeting new people and seeing new things, and watching sports (KU in particular). She says that she's also forcing herself to love exercising again.
We're delighted that this talented and passionate activist finds some time in her very busy schedule to write at the Kansas Free Press!
You can browse through entries from Amber's complete historical archives here.
To learn more about any KFP writers, we encourage you to browse our directory of citizen journalists.
Do you want to write here as a citizen journalist? Anyone wishing to write with us here can inquire with our publisher directly. We are always looking for Kansans who want to write about Kansas! Let us know!
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