Justice is a topic difficult to unpack and a word hard to define. There are so many pieces of art, literature, history, and philosophy that reveal different aspects of this concept to us. Alexa Wilsey ‘27, a junior majoring in history, English literature, and music, has looked to understand justice more clearly through the process of songwriting.
As a part of Geneva College’s Honors Program, Alexa took the class Genocide, taught by Jeffrey Cole, PhD, in her freshman year here. As she worked her way through the heavy content covering major genocides in history, she found that writing was a way of processing the emotional side of the class.
Originally, Alexa had thought about writing music as part of her final project for the class. Without enough time to do so, however, she continued with the idea on her own, releasing a six song EP entitled “this is genocide” earlier this year. Every song presents a haunting image of a particular tragedy in its name. The Cambodian genocide, for example, has the title “fields.”
Alexa sees these songs as both a call to remember and a way to move forward in pursuing justice in the future.
“The theme of the EP revolves around [the fact that] this happened, and people often stood by and did nothing. So what can we do now? Not just with genocide, but with all forms of injustice?
“Dr. Cole really focused on why it’s important to remember. Memory matters not just because we don’t want these things to happen again, but also so that we can be aware of what has happened and does happen in the world.”
The idea of memory defined the Genocide class for Alexa. She finds the medium of song especially appropriate for capturing these events because song is inherently memorable — all the more so with her poetic lyrics, repetition, and simple yet powerful instrumentation.
“I think the beauty of song is that it gets in your head more. I may not remember exactly a page of a book, but I remember the message of a song. It’s a different form of learning.”
While Alexa’s time at Geneva certainly informs the themes she chooses to deal with in her songs, so does her personal experience. Having battled through cancer, Alexa understands both hardship and uncertainty, and the importance of advocating for others who may not be in a position to advocate for themselves.
“Going through cancer shifted my focus. It has made other people matter more to me. It taught me how to deal with issues that are difficult, and that sometimes good can come out of them.”
Alexa has found inspiration from her family and her high school education as well in her songwriting. In the past, she has often written songs that stemmed from class themes and her favorite books, like The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Alexa plans to pursue a graduate degree in the field of literature or history to continue exploring the relationship between the two. She loves the connections that she finds in all three of her majors currently.
“I took American Gothic [literature] last semester and got to present on Taylor Swift’s Folklore as a Gothic medium. I explored history, music, and culture in a literature class — it really helped me see how all of these things work together.”
Three majors is not even enough to keep Alexa busy. She has deepened her learning by participating in the English club, New Song, Grace Notes, Genevans, and Geneva’s theater productions at different points in her time here. This semester, she is playing Wednesday in The Addams Family.
Alexa enjoys being able to welcome new freshmen in these groups into the Geneva community that she has found herself so involved in. As each student grows during their time at Geneva, they hopefully, like Alexa, will find themselves challenged to care more deeply about the world they live in. Whether their skills include songwriting or something completely different, they can bring awareness to and provoke meaningful action around topics that truly matter.
Alexa’s EP is streaming on Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Find pictures and song explanations at her website lexasmusic23.wixsite.com/my-site-2.
By Reagan Shields ‘26
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