Krislyn Massey’s Passion for Service and Community

For Krislyn Massey (’23, ’25 M.A.), receiving a UNT Ring Award was the shiny topper to an already rewarding journey through higher education that expanded her worldview and led her to find community.

It all culminated in Krislyn’s moment on the UNT Ring Ceremony stage in December, followed that very afternoon by her graduation with a master’s degree in human security.

“Human security is all the personable aspects of issues in national security and diplomacy,” Krislyn says. “I’m looking at all the ways humans interact in the global environment and how they directly affect our relationships around the world.”

The seed for her interest in global affairs was planted years earlier.

“I was super into anime as a kid, and one of my favorites actually focused on the relationships between countries,” she says. “I started attending conventions where I met a lot of international friends. That really bankrolled into me picking the coolest sounding major at UNT, which was national security and diplomacy — crossing over two of my favorite interests: sounding cool and global order.”

Krislyn grew up with her grandmother as a kinship kid in foster care, which led to an opportunity for a slightly early start at UNT through the Persevere Until Success Happens, or PUSH, program — a structured, campus-wide network of support to assist students with experiences in foster care in achieving educational success.

In the summer of 2019, Krislyn arrived on campus as part of the UNT PUSH Summer Bridge Program, which is free and allows students to enroll in up to 15 credit hours before their first semester.

Krislyn’s time in the UNT PUSH program proved incredibly rewarding and led her to explore other opportunities for campus connection, soon after becoming involved with Talons, the student organization keeping Mean Green traditions and school spirit strong.

Through her involvement on campus, Krislyn quickly expanded her connections and found her community — a moment of warm clarity arriving while attending a fall 2019 Mean Green Football game.

“I remember Mason Fine was the quarterback, the score was tied and there were 10 seconds left on the clock,” she says. “In 10 seconds, he got the ball from the 20-yard line at the other end zone all the way to our end zone and we got a touchdown. I lost my voice from how hard I was screaming. It was just a sea of green and yelling and screaming and that was the moment I remember thinking, ‘I’m exactly where I belong.’”

Over the next few years, and despite a pandemic, Krislyn continued to find rich and rewarding experiences through her studies at UNT.

“I studied abroad for one semester in Japan right after COVID,” she says. “And then I ended up going to Japan again the following summer for a student conference. Ever since, I’ve just sort of fallen into different conferences where there’s been a mix of students from around the world, and I represent the U.S.”

Upon graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Krislyn pursued her master’s while also working for UNT’s police department as a public safety officer, expanding her found family and deepening her connection to the community.

In her final semester, Krislyn enrolled in the North Texas in D.C. program, gaining hands-on government experiences in the nation’s capital.

“I thought it might be very isolating, but it didn’t end up being that way,” she says. “We created this network — we were hanging out all the time. I met my best friend there and we ended up going line dancing every single weekend. It was one of the greatest moments, dancing in D.C. and creating real bonds and connections.”

With her sights set on one day being a foreign service officer in the State Department, Krislyn is wearing her UNT ring with pride — carrying the community that has shaped her experience through countless cherished memories with her everywhere she goes.

“Passion is something I found at UNT,” she says. “I had the privilege of representing UNT abroad and returned with a clear sense of responsibility to others. This ring is not an end point, it’s a promise to mentor the next student, to advocate for those without a voice and to keep building ladders where none existed.”