Though Cady Inabinett received her high school diploma from the rigorous STEM curriculum of the Alabama School of Math & Science, she knew she’d be charting a different path in college than her classmates.
“I went to school with a bunch of people who wanted to go to medical school or be an engineer, but I knew I wanted to read books all day. And it really made me think, what’s the benefit of that?” said Inabinett. “And I found there are just so many ways the power of literature and the humanities have to make people’s lives better.”
To do that, Inabinett is pursuing a degree in English, along with dual minors in political science and peace and justice studies. Her current plan is to get her doctorate in women, gender and sexuality studies to teach at the college level.
While she’s confident in her path forward now, Inabinett said she initially struggled to find her footing at UM. Part of what made her eventually feel more confident was applying for and receiving scholarships like the Laurie Ann Cox Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in English, the Foundation Board Scholarship Fund, the Sabia Endowed Family Scholarship and the English Merit Scholarship.
“I think a lot of times when people think of the impact scholarships have, it’s purely in numbers. But it makes me feel confident, like I have people rooting for me,” said Inabinett. “It makes me feel less impostor syndrome when I go into my classes and say I want to go to a Ph.D. program. It reminds me there are people out there who see the work I do, and say ‘Yeah, you can do whatever you put your mind to.’”
Outside of class, Inabinett helps keep the UM campus informed as managing editor of content for The Alabamian, UM’s student newspaper. In that role, Inabinett works with the paper’s section editors to plan stories for each issue and edits the entirety of the paper to ensure it is print-ready.
Inabinett is also the undergraduate social chair for Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society, and has served as a peer mentor in the Honors Program.
“Wherever I end up, I just want to do something that I feel like helps other people,” she said.
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