Surprising Twists – and Paris – Put UMW Senior on a Path to Success

There’s a bit of a cosmopolitan thread that runs through University of Mary Washington senior Brianna Kenealy’s college career. It’s called “Paris.”

She first visited with her family the summer before sophomore year, returned on a faculty-led trip as a junior, then wrapped it all up with a stint at the American Business School of Paris this spring.

Back in Virginia – her plane landed just yesterday – she’s  set to walk the Ball Circle stage at Saturday’s 114th Commencement on UMW’s Fredericksburg Campus.

That’s where a series of revelations began to unfold four years ago, catching her off guard but charting her course. It’s where, as a student-athlete, she found herself competing – and winning – against teams she hadn’t expected to play. Where she discovered a knack for business administration and declared a new major, then moved by an energetic professor, tacked on a minor in economics. Where she poured herself into a capstone project that proved she could build a career that matters and see the world.

“I want to have a job that can help people, and if that means I travel and make a difference for local businesses, I think that’s really cool,” said Kenealy, an Honors student who’s set to start a master’s program in global commerce at UVA this fall.

Growing up in Arlington, Virginia, she earned an international baccalaureate diploma, heavy on fast-paced coursework, extracurriculars and service. When it came time for college, she knew she wanted two things – to play soccer and to study out of state. Half of that changed when Head Women’s Soccer Coach Scott Gerseny offered her a spot on the UMW team. It was only an hour from home, but a campus visit and a parents’ promise – no unannounced visits – put things in perspective.

Brianna Kenealy played outside back for UMW Women’s Soccer her entire four years at Mary Washington. In that time, the team ended up playing – and holding their own against – Top 10-ranked schools like Johns Hopkins and Messiah universities.

Brianna Kenealy (third from left) majored in business administration and minored in economics at Mary Washington. She was recruited to UMW by Head Women’s Soccer Coach Scott Gerseny.

Brianna Kenealy (middle) helped UMW Women’s Soccer become a formidable force during her four years on the Eagles’ field. In her sophomore year, the team went unbeaten 12 games in a row, the third longest run in school history.

Set on becoming a pediatrician, she dug into the sciences, but when an advisor noticed her interest in math and floated the idea of business administration, Kenealy dipped her toes in and discovered the concepts felt “straight-forward and factual.” A minor in economics came next, thanks to a style she admired in Professor Shawn Humphrey. “The way he taught the class woke me up,” she said. “Something just clicked for me.”

She sailed through courses like Principles of Marketing and Project Management. Then, inspired by a Poverty, Affluence and Equality class, came her capstone project, an honors thesis she called “Pretty in Pink Can Be a Dirty Business.” With it, she explored a practice – the pink tax – where prices are higher for products marketed to women than those meant for men. It made her indignant. “Why is that still allowed?” she asked. “How is it still legal?”

UMW senior Brianna Kenealy, a business administration major with an economics minor, completed an honors thesis on “pink tax.” The concept refers to the practice of pricing merchandise marketed toward women higher than the same products when they’re marketed to men.

As part of Kenealy’s capstone project, she held a drive, collecting thousands of items typically upcharged for women in a practice referred to as ‘pink tax.’ She donated the items to several Fredericksburg-area shelters.

And it got her moving.

As part of the project, she collected thousands of essential items typically upcharged for women – shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream – and donated them to Fredericksburg-area shelters. “You think about it, and it’s like, ‘what’s a couple more dollars?’” Kenealy said. “But for someone who’s trying to save, that could make a big difference.”

Through it all, she held leadership roles with UMW’s Women in Business and the Symfonics a cappella group, worked as a Center for International Education student liaison and received the Class of 1969 Laura V. Sumner Memorial Scholarship each of her four years at Mary Washington.

In addition to her coursework and her position on the UMW Women’s Soccer team, Brianna Kenealy (middle, holding flowers) participated in extracurriculars, holding leadership roles, for example, with Women in Business. She’s seen here with the UMW a cappella group Symfonics.

Brianna Kenealy (pictured upper right of the woman holding the iPhone) served as vice president and president of the UMW a cappella group Symfonics.

Kenealy (front, holding microphone) earned an international baccalaureate, which included challenging coursework and lots of service and extracurriculars, like singing choir, which prepared her for life at Mary Washington. Here she performs on the Morris Stage at UMW’s Heslep Amphitheatre.

Kenealy also was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma student-athlete honor society, with her time on the soccer field holding its own share of surprises. Throughout her career, the Eagles achieved a 12-game unbeaten streak, the third longest in UMW history, and found themselves face-to-face with Top 10 opponents like Johns Hopkins and Messiah universities – a scenario Kenealy deemed “insanely amazing.”

Also insanely amazing? Living your final semester of college in a walk-up apartment in Paris, perfecting your French and completing a business-related video challenge that ranked among the best in your class.

“She’s just kind of a person who does it all,” said Kenealy’s capstone advisor, College of Business Associate Professor Alexandra Dunn. “One of the things that stands out about Bri is how dedicated and hardworking she is but also how kind she is.”

Brianna Kenealy (middle) visited Paris three times during her time as a student at UMW. Here she poses with friends at the Musee du Parfum.

Kenealy (top right) spent her final college semester studying at the American Business School of Paris. Here she is pictured with friends at a Paris cafe.

Kenealy takes a selfie with friends in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She hopes to build a business career that will allow her to travel and help others.