Meet KC

 

We were lucky to catch up with KC recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi KC, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

“Looks” like mine come in different variations, such as worship styles, skin tones, musical likes, teaching likes, etc. In 1968, when Ennis was integrated and I entered the third grade as a student at Stephen F. Austin Elementary, I was picked on and bullied.

This surprise attack came from my own race and while playing on the swings with a girl who was the total opposite of me: I was a dark skinned, chubby person who was black, and my friend was a light skinned, skinny person who was white! It must have caused a stir because I was called an Uncle Tom, and other derogatory names, all by my third-grade black counterparts.

Sometime after the verbal attack occurred, I talked with my Mama about it. She said, “don’t worry about other people, like who likes you.” As Forest Gump would say, in essence, my Mama always had a way to help me understand what was important to know, remember, and incorporate into my life. From then on, I have made my own path and chosen friends I align with and  have no problem being the only one in the room that looks like me.

My parents had pictures of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and John F. Kennedy hanging up on the wall. To me, this gave me a well-rounded view of life. Since my parents owned and operated a lumberyard (refurbished from my Dad’s demolition business), my siblings and I mingled with people of different races, church membership (if they had one), social, and financial statuses.

I recognized part of my purpose during that time, when I started writing poems to think out my thoughts because I stuttered, especially when I was nervous. God gave me the gift of teaching when I was 12 years old. I taught and still teach Bible lessons at Sunday School to the youth at my church. I even taught Bible lessons while I was working in the Juvenile Justice Department to the detained youth.

I have learned to be effective and successful even when I am the only one in the room that looks like me, because I am a Christian, the daughter of the Most High God, The Creator. I do my best to lean on God’s strength and His Word when problems occur. The Scripture I have used to guide, motivate, and encourage me since I was approximately 8-years-old is Psalm 56:3-4, which reads: “3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. 4 In God I will praise His Word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” I know I can conquer any situation or problem by trusting in my Heavenly Father to work through me to get the job done.

All of the above keeps me optimistic in this world and keeps me pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Jesus Christ by faithfully staying on that straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life with my Savior, Lord, and Master. In this pressing, I must stay connected and aware of my thoughts (mind, body, and spirit), and stay connected to my family, friends and my community. The aforementioned helps me to not only survive, but thrive in my purpose even when I get some push back, saying I am doing too much. I have heard that statement, in some type of capacity, several times, not only in my volunteer community work but on the professional level.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a Retired Federal Probation Officer. Currently, I serve at my local church, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Ennis, Texas (New Hope), as a teacher and Missionary. In that capacity, I teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to youth at New Hope and in the surrounding cities.

I enjoy working for the Lord, which comes in any facet of responsibility I have, whether as a volunteer or a paid employee. It does not matter to me, because I believe that everything I do is a form of worship and is in service for the Lord. I got this type of thinking and work ethic from my parents who I watched help pick up trash, help clean cemeteries, help build churches (physically, financially, and spiritually), visit those in nursing homes and hospitals, take care of the sick and shut in, give monetarily to those in need, all the while rearing nine children and paying for their college educations in cash! Consequently, I have done the above deeds as a probation officer on the county level and on the federal level. I believe we are all people with various personalities, goals, likes, looks, trying to get to our heavenly home.

I volunteer with the Friends of the Ennis Public Library, the Ennis Golden Circle (Senior Center), and the North Texas Catholic Charities Food Truck with New Hope. I am the Founder and President of KC-Drewsome Writers, LLC. With the help of God, I have published three books, and am working on others to be published in the near future. I am so honored and excited to be an author on a collaborative project (Wise Women Bringing Light to the World) of the #Voicesofthe21stCentury, with powerful women and their inspiring messages coming to life. The official Launch is Feb 4, 2025.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most important qualities, skills and/or areas of knowledge that were the most impactful in my journey would be courage, adaptability, and strong work ethic. I use courage to tackle all tasks, including courage to speak to management about what is going right and what may need to change or be tweaked. Adaptability to the job and get in where you fit in and wisdom to know that the situation will not change is another important quality I use. Because sometimes I have had to ease out of situations that were not a good fit for me. I have learned, through the biblical example of Paul and Barnabus’ separation, that amicable parting ways can impact the world in a positive way. In addition, a strong work ethic helps me see my way to the end of the assignment being tenacious and having the integrity to complete what you signed up to do. My thought is always to see and hear what others have to say about a project and do my best to be inclusive of the person and their thoughts, no matter who they are and how old they are.

When I hear someone say, in essence, I am doing too much, I look at what I am doing and think to myself that I am just scratching the surface because I could do so much more. Those type of comments spur me on to greater, which is part of the work ethic I inherited from my parents. With courage and my faith, I try to stay in step with what God called me to do and be. After I hear thoughts of that nature, I refocus my efforts, pray to God for His strength and tackle the next goal God sets for me. The latest goal tackled was to birth my first published book titled, Where’s That Probation Officer: A Day in the Life of a United States Probation Officer. I call this book my primary book because being an Officer of the Court is where I started and identified with in a secular setting, but my career is and always will be as a daughter and servant of the Most High God, this includes Jesus being my Savior, Lord, and Master.

Another goal I am in the process of tackling is growing my writing business that I started in 2024. I want to teach others how to release the story inside them, igniting their lives into a published book to give their story to the world as a legacy to their posterity.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today.  Before we go, is there a book that’s played an important role in your development?

Reading books or listening to audiobooks is one of my favorite pastimes. My favorite book and the one I lean on the most is God’s true Book, the Bible, which speaks to every one of my situations and circumstances. My next favorite book, at present, that resonates with me and has played an important role in my development is titled, Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. The most impactful nugget of wisdom I received from this book is that it reminds me that we are all looking to be loved and fit in, and as Christians, or whatever a person’s religious belief, we are trying to make Heaven our home.

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Image Credits

Chris McDonald took the headshot/main photo.

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