Her Story
About Kristen
I have been in the education industry since 2002, and I currently work as a Special Education Supervisor for East St. Louis School District 189, a position I have held for about a year. My main areas of expertise focus on servant leadership and building capacity in leaders. I am passionate about empowering women and empowering youth, especially young girls. My other area of expertise centers on my actual career path, which is special education. I focus on what the student needs and am huge on wrapping students in services and giving them what they need to be great in life. At the schools I formerly worked at, I was able to shift the needle on student achievement. My department was out of compliance for about 39 years, and I had the task of changing that, and I did. I brought it from 39 years out of compliance to being in compliance. I was also noted as one of the leaders who had the most growth among all employees on a yearly basis. Whenever there was feedback given during my yearly evaluations, I would always take the feedback to heart to become a better leader. Much of my leadership tutelage came from Lift for Life Academy, where I worked for many years and had an awesome mentor and leader.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mother and my grandmother. There have been many giants along the way who have been very supportive of me, including my sisters in my inner circle. My mother and my sisters have been the most influential in my life. I went to school in East St. Louis, and a lot of my teachers have been very influential. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated was very influential when I was in the youth program. They were building leadership and spending time with us, and they were very invested in us as youth. I was a senior pearl, and that was a very influential process to me because I learned some leadership skills and some sisterhood, although I already had sisters. All of the women that I have met along the way have been so helpful. Even the experiences we would consider bad experiences have been life lessons. I cannot leave out the most influential relationship in my life, which is my relationship with God. I grew up in church, and if it was not for my mother, my grandmother, and my aunt exposing us to church and God, I don't know where I would be. That's why I have to give my mom and my grandmother their kudos and their flowers. Education was very important to them.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to always remember that education belongs to the children. This is theirs, and we need to maximize on whatever supports that we have and wrap them in whatever service that we have to support them. Remember that people are always looking, so always present yourself based on helping others.
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