ALEXSIS BARKUS

Alexsis Barkus is a member of the Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s 2025 class of Scholars. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Alexsis is the first O’Shaughnessy Scholar from Wichita High School South and remains deeply grateful for the community that helped shape her journey. She believes that leadership, academic excellence, humility, and service are best cultivated through investing in others.

Alexsis is currently a sophomore at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology. She is a scholar in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and a SEERS Russian Language Fellow, where she participates in an intensive Russian language course funded by the National Security Agency. Outside of the classroom, Alexsis pursues opportunities that combine her interests in criminology, intelligence, and public service. Her current research interests focus on global and domestic human trafficking relations; she aspires to pursue a career in federal criminal law.

During her first year at Howard, Alexsis was selected for the Duke University School of Law Pre-Law Fellowship, where she studied criminal law, police accountability, AI and data law, legal analysis, and other law courses under Duke Law faculty. She also participated in the 10th International Study Week on Children of Incarcerated Parents in Uganda, conducting comparative research on the effects of incarceration through literature review, prison visits, and fieldwork with advocacy organizations serving children and families.

Beyond the classroom, Alexsis is committed to expanding educational opportunities for others. In 2025, she co-founded the Wichita HBCU Alumni Collective, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness of and access to Historically Black Colleges and Universities among Kansas students through educational programming, mentorship, and community engagement. At Howard, she serves as Secretary and Treasurer of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Association, where she helps oversee communications, organizational planning, and financial operations. She also volunteers with ICT S.O.S., supporting survivors of human trafficking by coordinating essential resources and community donations.

Alexsis attributes her growth and success to the unwavering support of her family, Tabernacle Bible Church, her mentors, the Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundation, and all the other communities that have poured into her throughout her life. Above all, her faith in Jesus Christ guides her desire to be a servant leader. She is honored to be an O’Shaughnessy Scholar and looks forward to continuing to learn alongside fellow scholars while using every opportunity to create meaningful change in the lives of others.