About Me: Mackenzie Holian
Hi. I’m Mackenzie: A Georgetown Senior and a first-year CCT master’s student. Importantly, my favorite word in sign language is “bubbles.” You take your two pointer fingers, raise them up, then poke the air. It was one of the first words my younger brother, Connor, ever signed, and it taught me early that communication takes many forms, especially when words fall short.
Connor was born when I was three. He has autism, diabetes, celiac disease, and Addison’s disease: diagnoses that shaped my childhood and my understanding of responsibility and care. His life meant daily behavior therapy, a delayed first word, and nightly injections that continue even now. Watching my parents navigate school systems, insurance battles, and medical decisions showed me how hard families must fight to be understood. Those early lessons now guide the questions that anchor my academic and professional work: How do people experience institutions? Who gets to be heard? What does justice actually feel like in someone’s everyday life?
At Georgetown, I am studying Justice and Peace Studies and Psychology while completing an accelerated master’s in Communication, Culture, and Technology. Much of my work centers on perception, communication, and the ways systems can either protect or fail the communities that rely on them. I came to Georgetown unsure of how a Catholic, Jesuit education would serve a queer woman like myself. But through my time here, through conversations with faculty, classmates, and mentors, I’ve learned that Jesuit education is so much more than doctrine. It’s an approach to learning grounded in curiosity, reflection, and the willingness to sit with perspectives that challenge your own. It’s shaped not just what I study, but how I think.
Across psychology, research, and communication, I’ve learned that I work best where storytelling and advocacy meet. Psychology gave me meaningful hands-on work, especially with kids. Research offered clarity and purpose. Communication showed me how powerful storytelling can be in shaping public understanding. As I move toward my next steps, I’m committed to work that expands our moral imagination and strengthens empathy across difference, all with clarity, purpose, and a deep belief in human dignity.
My Approach
I approach the work I do as both storytelling and advocacy. Every project I take on, whether a website, newsletter, or research piece, begins with a simple question: Who needs to feel seen here? With that in mind, I focus on clarity, accessibility, and impact. I thrive at the intersection of communication, psychology, and social justice, translating complex ideas into meaningful experiences that connect people to each other.
