UM-Flint graduate student Sellon finds meaning in advocating for disabled and veterans rights

Like many 18-year-olds, Muskegon native Kevin Sellon didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up. So, he decided to follow in his family's footsteps and joined the U.S. Army.

"I needed to find myself, so I thought that would be a great way to learn about who I am and what I'm passionate about," said Sellon, a graduate student pursuing his master's in public administration at the University of Michigan-Flint. "Ironically, after 20 years in the military, I still didn't know what I wanted to do! So when I retired, I figured it was time to explore what a personally meaningful career might look like."

When Sellon first left the army, a job offer he had received was revoked once the company found out he had a disability. "It wouldn't have impacted (my performance), so it was frustrating to be discriminated against that way. I brought up the Americans with Disabilities Act, but it takes a long time to hold an organization accountable to that, and many larger corporations have found ways to exploit loopholes to get around it," he said. "I had already decided to go back to school, but that experience shaped my perspective."

Sellon earned his associate degree at Tacoma (Wash.) Community College while in the army, continued his studies at Evergreen (Wash.) State College, and completed his bachelor's in entrepreneurship and leadership in 2021.

"One of my professors at Evergreen pulled me aside and said, 'You're really focused on civil rights, aren't you? Have you ever considered going into law?' But going to law school at my age just didn't feel feasible," Sellon said. "Public administration and policy felt like a better fit for what I was interested in, especially as it relates to veteran's experiences and services, and disability advocacy."

After moving back to Michigan to be closer to family in 2022, Sellon applied for UM-Flint's Master of Public Administration program. "Flint has the highest-rated MPA program at a public school in the state, so it was my first choice, and I was thrilled to be accepted," he said. "Honestly, I had a bit of imposter syndrome to begin with, like, 'Am I really smart enough to be going to school here?' But the faculty is incredibly supportive and now I know I'm in the right place."

Given his personal experiences with disabilities, Sellon elected to take the Disability Law and Policy course. "That class was transformational and expanded my knowledge and understanding of how the ADA does and doesn't work—it was really rushed into law, and there are so many loopholes, some of which I had experienced, and so it needs to be refined, improved and further developed," he said. "Even though there has been some attention to people living with disabilities, they're one of the most ignored populations in the world. There is a great need for advocacy and assistance, and this class gave me a new perspective on how I can be part of that."

The course inspired Sellon to begin researching volunteer opportunities in his local community. After meeting with Helen Budd, UM-Flint's program manager for UM-Flint's Student Veterans Association, he learned about veteran-friendly organizations and discovered the Disability Advocates of Kent County.

"I honestly didn't know there were advocacy groups like that," said Sellon. "I contacted them to volunteer because although I have a bachelor's degree and am pursuing my master's, I didn't have any experience in the field, so gaining that was my primary goal. I started as a volunteer ADA contact in workforce development in June 2024, helping educate employees with disabilities about their rights and employers' responsibilities. I mentioned this experience to one of my professors at the time, Jeremiah Wade-Olson, who suggested that we turn it into an internship so that I could get course credit." 

Sellon's experience is one reason why UM-Flint's MPA program is seeing its highest enrollment since before COVID-19 engulfed the globe.

"We certainly saw a decrease in students during the pandemic, and I think it was because a lot of people were concerned about the future, so going to graduate school didn't rank particularly high on their list of priorities," said Kimberly Saks, assistant professor of political science and MPA program director. "We took that opportunity to reimagine the program fundamentally and leaned into making it highly flexible, solidifying a diverse course rotation, and designing a curriculum that our students could put into practice immediately. Most MPA students are working or want to work in the field, so giving them tools and theories that they can apply to their work is incredibly valuable. They're not waiting until the end of the program to see its results."

While internships like Sellon's are optional, the faculty regularly facilitates them for course credit if students are interested. Past opportunities have included data analysis for the Genesee County Literacy Coalition and a needs assessment and presentation to the South Flint Soup Kitchen board of directors.

"Some of our students have even started their nonprofit organizations while in our program," Saks said. "For example, an alum of our MPA program, Malcolm Cottle, founded The Art of Music Project after taking our Fundamentals of Nonprofits course. We then worked with him to create an independent study class that guided him in setting up the exempt status, developing the governing structure and more." 

Sellon's volunteer and internship work at DAKC ultimately resulted in a paid workforce and ADA compliance specialist position. "I collaborate with the occupational therapy department to help with in-home assessments for our clients and provide them with advice and solutions on how we can improve their environment to make their lives easier," Sellon said. 

"My experience as a veteran and promoting the need to fill the gaps in disabled veteran care has inspired DAKC to explore the direct care program through Veterans Affairs, which means we'll get referrals from the VA and then work directly with disabled and aging vets to enable them to age in place. Right now, I'm up for consideration as the organization's person-first manager for that program."

In addition to his work at DAKC, Sellon was recently named to the board of the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, where he will collaborate with others to provide needed resources to veterans in the area. He was also asked to be part of the planning committee for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission's ADA Summit, which will take place in Novi on May 8.  

"I don't know if I would have had the confidence or knowledge to pivot into a career in disability advocacy and veteran's rights without my experiences in UM-Flint's MPA program," Sellon said. "I've learned how to read and understand the language of policy at a fundamental level so that I can work to refine and enhance it to meet my client's needs. And who knows? Maybe I will decide that I'm not too old to go to law school and continue down that path after all. But whatever my future holds, I know advocacy will be at the center of it because once you see how your work has changed someone's life for the better, it makes you feel whole again."