Meet a Colleague: Kelly Bezold Kelly Bezold is a research assistant in the Biology Department.

W&L News Office
January 29, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I just hit 20 years this month!

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
I can’t choose just one! I love the students because they keep me feeling young at heart. I love my colleague’s wit and camaraderie. I love the view of House Mountain from many of the work spaces in Howe Hall. I love that I can bring my dog, Jacqui, to work. I love that there is some flexibility in my job.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus? 
The lower seating level outside of the Elrod Commons Marketplace. It’s so peaceful to take a moment and relax there when the weather is nice.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Pittsburgh, but was I raised to the west of Pittsburgh near Steubenville, Ohio ( Steel Country on the Ohio River). My hometown was one of the filming locations used in the movie “The Deer Hunter” starring  Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro and John Savage.

Q. What advice do you have for students?
I’d say, slow down and be present more often. Be open to accepting paths that are different from what you planned. Find what brings you joy.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
It’s a toss-up between zip-lining in Costa Rica and riding a dromedary in the Sahara Desert.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
I’d say DIY home improvement and gardening! Some orthopedic issues have forced me to scale back, but I love making flower arrangements and canning vegetables from our gardens. I also love live music, entertaining at home and hanging out with our three rescued pets.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
I’ve always loved Western North Carolina, especially Asheville and Maggie Valley. It is a beautiful area that I visit often. After the recent flooding and destruction by Helene, I feel fortunate that I ended up in Lexington.

Q. What book are you reading now? 
I just finished re-reading John Steinbeck’s “Winter of Our Discontent”  and started on Barbara Kingsolver’s “Flight Behavior.”

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
The Black Keys. I love their diverse range of blues, grunge, alternative rock and indie rock.

Q. What is the website you visit most often and why?
Within the last two months, it’s been the Home Depot because my husband and I are building a house.

Q. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?  
Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Q. What is your desert island food? 
Pineapple coconut cake with cream cheese icing.

Q. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
I worked as a medical lab technologist for 18 years prior to becoming a molecular lab technologist at W&L.