Intern Spotlight ~ Kinaya Kerr
“We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.” Mary McLeod Bethune.
We love our Interns at AGB. This month’s news letter is dedicated to Kinaya Kerr. Kinaya is a recent graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and a returning AGB Intern. She is working under the leadership and guidance of Sara Martinez, the Program Director for the AGB Foundation. Kinaya was given a leadership role as an Intern Supervisor. She will be attending FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) in the fall where she plans to major in Business Administration. I had the opportunity to interview this dynamic young lady.
- Tell me the difference between last year’s intern program and this year’s intern program and how have you grown so far? “I think that last year my group missed out on the personal connection and attention. We were in the office about 12 times over the course of 6 weeks. The 2021 cohort gained an abundance of in-person office experience. This year, I’m a leader as opposed to just an intern. The most valuable lesson I learned was how to be a leader. With Sara as my supervisor, she created a great environment for me inside and outside of work. I have been a little bit intimidated by a person’s level in the past but Sara created a space to build a personal connection. That was something that I realized was important to being an effective leader. Being both the Intern Supervisor and their peer, I thought it was critical for them to understand I’m here to lead and not be an authority figure. A leader is only as strong as their team, and they have to be willing to follow.”
- What are you most passionate about learning personally or professionally? Personally, I am passionate about learning how to be more confident in myself. I have always been gifted intellectually but I have had experiences where that was frowned upon. Professionally, I want to learn how to overcome fear. I want to be an entrepreneur. I will encounter some failures and hardships. I want to acquire more tools to assist me in dealing with those obstacles. One of my biggest goals, as I enter college, is to learn how to communicate effectively. I’m reserved, and an introvert, so I want to learn how to be more assertive; especially when representing myself in the workforce.
- Tell me about your volunteer and community service experience inside and outside of AGB? With AGB, we planned a car wash to raise money for the Foundation. As the lead on that project, I learned the details needed to make an event like that come to life. We had a great time planning the event, and it was a success. For the past 3 years, I was in an organization called Top Teens of America, where I was the Vice President of the Midway Chicago Chapter my last two years in the organization. We would go to senior homes for Christmas, and Valentines day. We would serve them food, play bingo, and host ice cream socials. We planned Halloween parties for children’s shelters and made Easter baskets for the kids. I love kids, and it made me so happy to see their faces light up when they saw us.
- What would you like to leave us with in terms of telling the reader who you are? I am like a butterfly. When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I was very self-conscious about myself. I was not proud of myself. I was a caterpillar then. Now, I am so proud of myself and the growth I see in myself. High school was like the cocoon stage. I was discovering who I was, from my passions to what my dream career would be. In college, I will emerge as a powerful young lady. My favorite quote is, “pressure makes diamonds” because there is a lot I will go through as a black woman in America that I need to be prepared for.
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“When you let the youth lead, you will learn things about them you never knew and discover skills and talents you didn’t know they had.” LDSYouthLeadership.com
AGB is paving the way for our future Black and Brown leaders of America. Please continue to support the AGB Foundation. If you would like to make a donation please click on the following link:
Donate – Always Giving Back Foundation (agbfd.org)
