Kalyn Lee
Kalyn Lee is a communications and education leader based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, currently serving as a Communications Associate at GoFundMe, Assistant Professor at Broward College, and Program Director of the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League. In her role as Program Director, she serves as the organization’s sole full-time employee and has led a significant turnaround over the past three years, expanding programming, rebuilding infrastructure, and strengthening community partnerships. Her primary mission is to expand equitable access to debate education for students attending Title I schools across Miami-Dade County and South Florida. Most recently, she led the organization’s inaugural gala, which raised $72,000 to support student programming and growth.
Her career in debate and education spans more than a decade, beginning in 2009 as a high school student debater. She went on to earn a full scholarship to compete on the University of Alabama’s collegiate debate team, where she further developed her expertise in argumentation, leadership, and public speaking. She later transitioned into coaching as a graduate student and continued building her impact in South Florida as a debate coach with the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League at Miami Carol City Senior High School beginning in 2017. She also served as an educator within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where she was recognized as Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2020. During this time, she worked closely with education leaders including school board members Luisa Santos, Lucia Baez-Geller, and Steve Gallon III to advocate for increased resources and support for Title I schools.
In higher education, Kalyn has taught at both Miami Dade College and Broward College, where she has continued mentoring students many of whom she first taught in high school through their collegiate journeys. Alongside her academic work, she also contributes to GoFundMe’s communications efforts, where she manages multiple accounts and partners with journalists across South Florida to elevate stories of individuals and communities navigating crisis and seeking opportunity. Across all of her roles, she is committed to expanding access, strengthening educational pathways, and using communication as a tool to connect people with resources, opportunity, and impact.
• English Grades 6-12 The Florida Department of Education Issued Aug 2020
• K-12 Reading Endorsement The Florida Department of Education Issued May 2021
• The University of Alabama - B.A., Political Science and Government
• The University of Alabama - Master’s Degree, Communication Studies
• Rookie Teacher of the Year - Miami-Dade County Public Schools (2020)
• Full Debate Scholarship - University of Alabama
• Teach for America Miami-Dade Al & Jane Family Foundation Excellence in Teaching Finalist
• Miami Dade County Public Schools 2020 Francisco R. Walker Rookie Teacher of The Year
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA)
• Miami-Dade Urban Debate League - Providing debate access to Title I schools
• Breakthrough Miami - Nonprofit work starting 2014
• Community volunteer work through AKA sorority
• Americorps Member -
Teach For America
What do you attribute your success to?
First and foremost, my faith. I grew up in a household of believers, and I grew up in a household of people that believed in praying for you. As we get older, regardless of what your faith is, I think that believing in something helps a lot. And then my family. My mom and my dad have been here for me every step of the way, celebrating my successes. They were just here for our inaugural gala, and my parents flew from Alabama and Georgia to be there and to support me. I didn't have any immediate family members in Miami when I first moved down here, and the support system that I've built since I've been here, as well as my friends that live in different states, they have really helped me stay grounded and focused, especially when I'm here by myself. So faith, family, and friends are the three components that have allowed me to stay centered and focused in my journey. Making sure that you're surrounded by people that are going to hold you accountable and push you forward is so important. My dad used to always say this thing to me when I was a kid that I've never forgotten, which is never be the smartest person in the room. I realized what that really meant, which is that you can't grow if you're not around people that are going to help you grow. You should be able to learn from the people in your surroundings. Just making sure that you're surrounded with people that are going to hold you accountable, not telling you the things that you want to hear, but the things that you need to hear, and that they are pushing forward as well, so that you can continue to stay inspired and motivated for the trajectory of your life.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My dad used to always say this thing to me when I was a kid that I've never forgotten, which is never be the smartest person in the room. I didn't really understand what that meant when I was young, because I was like, why not? Don't I want to be the smartest? But then I realized what that really meant, which is that you can't grow if you're not around people that are going to help you grow. You should be able to learn from the people in your surroundings. And if you're around people that are not aligned with what your purpose is in life, those individuals can be more detrimental to you than they can be beneficial. So just making sure that you're around people that are going to hold you accountable, not telling you the things that you want to hear, but the things that you need to hear, and that they are pushing forward as well, so that you can continue to stay inspired and motivated.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The biggest piece of advice that I would give is to network. I don't think that we do enough of it. I think that, especially as our society is beginning to shift, back in the day, it was enough to just go to school, get the degree, do a few internships, and then you were able to land a great role, a great job, and interact with great people. But now there's a saying that, you know, obviously we hear, it's not what you know, it's who you know, and I think I like to take that a step further. It's not who you know, it's who knows you. It's so important to just continue to get yourself out there, go to those mixers, go to those seminars, try to figure out ways that you can continue to interact with people that are where you want to be, and get your name in those rooms, so that when you're not there, your name can be heard. I also think that what's most important is to, even if you're wearing different hats, make sure that the hats that you're wearing are the hats that you're passionate about. It's a lot easier to manage your time when you're doing something that you're passionate about, and all of my paths are within the same realm and goal, which is to help people.