Get to Know Our ​​Communication Majors: Lex Gilbert (C’25)

As Lex Gilbert graduates with degrees in Communication and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, they not only leave behind a stellar academic record, but also a lasting legacy of building community at Penn.

A first-generation, low-income (FGLI) student, Gilbert has advised Penn administrators through the College of Arts & Sciences FGLI Dean’s Advisory Board on the needs and wants of the FGLI student body. They also worked to educate the Penn community on the importance of consent and boundaries through a position as a peer educator through Penn Violence Prevention.

Gilbert’s biggest passion is co-founding and now leading the Disabled Coalition, a student group dedicated to creating community, education, and advocacy around disability at Penn. From peer advising on accommodations and transit to hosting social events, the group provides vital support for disabled students at Penn. Gilbert is proud to have built the Coalition from the ground up. One of the Coalition’s standout events was hosting disabled activist and content creator Spencer West for a keynote speech in 2023, Gilbert says.

This spring, the Coalition hosted its biggest event yet — a lunch and learn with Dr. Sami Schalk, an activist whose interdisciplinary research focuses broadly on disability, race, and gender. 

Gilbert believes their communication coursework at Annenberg has helped them become a better communicator and storyteller in all areas of life. Off campus, their resume includes a research stint in New Zealand to study the legitimization of diaspora communities; an internship at GLAAD, where they wrote about the election of LGBTQ+ public officials; and marketing for WXPN Radio, where they write some of the words you’d hear on-air.

Their next chapter? Law school with an arsenal of lessons in critical thinking and communications, shaped by Annenberg’s faculty and scholars. 

“Annenberg has some of the best, most accomplished faculty on Penn's campus. I've had classes with well-established scholars and emerging scholars who are doing amazing work in fields ranging from migration to mortality in media,” they say. 

Gilbert will be Annenberg's flag-bearer at the College of Arts & Sciences graduation on Sunday, May 18.