What do interpersonal communications, research about safe sex and octopus costumes have in common? That would be Kami Kosenko, one of the newest members of the faculty, who has a passion for all three.
Kosenko came to the University in August of last year to teach courses on interpersonal communication. After earning her Ph.D. in the subject from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she went job searching for a career that best fit her.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher in some form and I figured I was best suited for older students,” Kosenko said.
This quest led her to Raleigh, where she decided to stay.
“N.C. State was definitely one of the schools I was most excited about.”
Though it is only her first year here, the University and its students have made a good impression on her.
“Traveling around a lot, you see that there is almost a personality to a student body. I like the personality of this one,” Kosenko said.
And NCSU is definitely excited about her. Stuart Sanderson, freshman in communication, took Kosenko’s communication theory class last semester said she loved the class and the atmosphere Kosenko created in her classroom.
“Dr. Kosenko is great. She knows how to keep the material interesting and keep the students engaged,” Sanderson said.
One of the ways Kosenko keeps her class interesting is through the examples she uses. We are a research university, so like most professors here, Kosenko uses examples from her own research to strengthen her teaching style.
While earning her Ph.D. Kosenko began researching the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and analyzing how people protect themselves and how to talk to their partners about protection.
Kosenko focused her research on the transgender population, because HIV is higher among that group, but not a lot of research has been done. She traveled across the nation to conduct interviews with transgendered people, examining their sexual practices and how they communicated with their partners.
“They were eager to share their story,” Kosenko said. “I think they were happy to be given some sort of voice.”
Kosenko has been working on publishing data in journals and books, and is currently applying for a grant to continue and expand her research. She plans to start a study on women with HPV, and continue to work with the transgendered population and HIV positive individuals.
This research spills over into her classes as she teaches students about interpersonal communication. Kosenko believes that sex, like a lot of things, is much easier to have than to talk about. The only way to become more comfortable about talking about such a subject is to talk about it.
Kosenko said all classrooms have a climate that is established by both the professor and the students. Certain topics are established as taboo, while others are not.
“Because I talk about sex in a professional and non-humorous way, it is no longer taboo.”
Kosenko said by doing this she hopes to have an impact on her students. Not only would this help make conversations about safe sex easier, it helps define their interpersonal communication skills.
“You would be hard-pressed to find any job that communication skills aren’t relevant and unimportant. They are central to your life whether they are involved in your career or your relationships,” Kosenko said.
Kosenko’s interests do not just span through her research and her career. She harbors a somewhat secret passion for costumes. She dressed up as an octopus for the Coney Island Mermaid Parade and most recently bought a green man costume.
As for the future, Kosenko plans to stay here while continuing research.
“I like what I’m doing. I’d be content continuing.”
After she has conducted more research, she eventually hopes to develop educational programs based by her studies, such as workshops or classes on sex and how to stay safe.
Kosenko is very passionate about everything she is involved with, especially helping students.
“If what I teach a student even helps them to manage fights with their boyfriend better, I’ve accomplished something,” Kosenko said.
