Kelly sees parenthood as reinforcing the lessons that her mother taught her: that caregiving and ambition are “not opposing forces but intertwined strengths.”

Kelly Hartwell first learned to value educational equity from their mother, a public school teacher who, Kelly remembers, stayed up rewriting lesson plans until the early hours of the morning to accommodate students with learning and behavioral challenges. Kelly’s mother believed that education promised a path forward for all children, and this belief shaped their commitment to creating equitable environments for all students, especially those facing invisible barriers.

Today, Kelly is a PhD candidate in the Joint Program in English and Education at the University of Michigan. Their research focuses on writing assessment and linguistic justice. Kelly’s dissertation examines how instructors’ beliefs about language and assessment impact equity in college writing classrooms—research that grows directly from their lived experiences helping students overcome educational barriers. Previously, they earned bachelor’s degrees in art education and English as well as a master’s degree in English from the University of Maine.

Kelly’s advisor identifies her as an “intellectual leader” with “keen insights, careful attention to detail, and analytical skills.” Her extensive academic record affirms that insight. Kelly has contributed to published work examining how writing can enhance understanding of undergraduate education. Kelly has taught composition at the University of Michigan and the University of Maine, and she is also a passionate mentor to her fellow teachers. She has served as a teaching mentor for first-year graduate student instructors, co-chaired the Language and Rhetoric Studies group at U-M, and coordinated training programs for graduate student instructors.

In February 2025, Kelly became a first-time parent to their beloved daughter, Samantha Margot (“Mars”). Kelly sees parenthood as reinforcing the lessons that her mother taught her: that caregiving and ambition are “not opposing forces but intertwined strengths.” One day, she envisions herself and Mars reminiscing on all that they have survived together.

CEW+ celebrates Kelly’s vision for caregiving as a model for academic leadership and names her a Mary Malcomson Raphael Scholar.