Kendal Lyssy is a second-year doctoral student studying interpersonal and family communication. Her research takes a qualitative lens. She is also interested in studying identity and diversity in the context of health and wellbeing. Kendal’s research examines how parents tell their children narratives in the context of disability. Her master’s thesis examined how adult children use sense-making and coping strategies to cope with disability through narratives their parents told them. Additionally, she is also interested in looking at adoption narratives as well as narratives pertaining to health and wellbeing. 

Kendal received her BA and MA from the university of North Texas, where she not only researched but also was an active participant in the classroom. Kendal has teaching experience in debate and argumentation courses as well as in health communication and communication theory. She was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in 2022. At Mizzou, Kendal is teaching Public Speaking, where she endeavors to make a positive difference in students’ experiences taking the course. She is active in the National Communication Association as well as the Central States Communication Association and has presented work at both conferences. Outside of research and teaching, Kendal can be found hanging out with friends, going to the latest coffee shops, trying the latest mochas (or pumpkin spice lattes in the fall), and working out among many other hobbies