Mackenzie Fierceton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mackenzie Terrell August 9, 1997 Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Mackenzie Morrison |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA, MSW) |
| Known for | controversy over representation of childhood and abuse |
Mackenzie Fierceton (born Mackenzie Terrell; August 9, 1997; later Mackenzie Morrison,[1]: 63–64, 86 ) is an American activist and graduate student. Raised in Chesterfield, Missouri, she attended Whitfield School in Creve Coeur, the University of Pennsylvania for a bachelor's in political science and master's in social work, and is a current graduate student at the University of Oxford.
Fierceton came to international attention when she became embroiled in a scandal over how she characterized her background in her university and Rhodes Scholarship applications. Coverage of the case provoked debate around the different definitions of first-generation used in higher education and whether Fierceton as a foster care leaver estranged from her parents qualified or not, and whether universities exploited the narratives of first-generation students as "poverty porn".