We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Toneyce Randolph. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Toneyce below.
Dr. Toneyce, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
The sound of sirens was as familiar to me as a lullaby. I grew up in a neighborhood where gunshots sometimes replaced fireworks, and the scent of desperation often lingered longer than the aroma of home-cooked meals. Drugs were not a whispered secret they were an open truth, living in the corners of my block and sometimes in my own home. Violence was not an occasional occurrence, it was part of the landscape, like the cracked sidewalks and boarded-up windows we passed on the way to school.
My childhood was steeped in instability. I remember nights when my siblings and I lay on the bed praying for better. My mother, battling her own demons, tried her best to protect us, but addiction is a thief. It steals time, love, and presence. There were days when the fridge was empty, and our lights were cut off, but even then, I carried a quiet belief that life could be different.
College became my sanctuary. It was the place where I could finally dream out loud boldly and without apology. I clung to books not just for knowledge, but for the sense of freedom they gave me. Professors became more than educators; they were lifelines, mentors who saw beyond the surface. I was the student who lingered after class not always with questions, but because it felt safer than being alone with the weight of where I came from.
Even as I earned good grades and showed up with a smile, I battled a quiet, persistent voice in my head. It whispered that I wasn’t supposed to be here that people like me, from homes marked by drugs, violence, and instability, didn’t belong in lecture halls or libraries. That success was reserved for someone else.
But I stayed. And I grew.
With every class I passed and every semester I completed, I chipped away at the doubts. I realized I wasn’t just surviving college I was building a future that defied the odds. I was proving, to myself and others, that my past didn’t have the final say.
College didn’t erase the trauma, but it gave me the tools to rise above it. It taught me resilience, discipline, and the power of believing in something greater than your circumstances. And by the time I walked across that stage, degree in hand, I wasn’t just graduating, I was reclaiming my story.
I earned scholarships, went to college, and became the first in my family to graduate. But more than degrees and titles, I cultivated resilience, the kind that doesn’t come from textbooks, but from surviving and refusing to be swallowed by your circumstances.
Today, I lead with empathy. I serve students who come from similar backgrounds, and I don’t need to imagine their struggle I’ve experienced it. I understand that sometimes the strongest students are the quietest ones, the ones carrying invisible burdens. I reach for them like someone once reached for me.
What I endured didn’t break me; it built me. And though my story began in darkness, it taught me how to be a light.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
What I do today, whether in the classroom, boardroom, or community space is rooted in the story of where I come from. I grew up surrounded by systemic challenges: poverty, drugs, violence, and the kinds of trauma that are often left out of textbooks. But instead of letting that break me, I’ve spent my life turning pain into purpose.
Professionally, I serve as a higher education leader and professor, and one of the most transformative courses I teach is Exploration of Hip-Hop Lyrics. This course isn’t just about music, it’s about truth-telling. It’s where we unpack the cultural, social, and emotional realities behind the lyrics, especially as they relate to community trauma, survival, resistance, and healing. It’s deeply personal for me because hip-hop was my first language of pain and resilience. Now, I use it as an academic tool to help students see themselves, reflect on their environments, and reimagine their futures.
What’s most exciting about my work is how it bridges worlds. I get to bring academic theory and lived experience into the same space. I get to validate students who, like me, never saw themselves reflected in traditional classrooms. I watch them connect with content not just intellectually, but emotionally and that’s where true learning and transformation happen.
Beyond the classroom, I’m focused on trauma-informed education, equity in leadership, and increasing access to culturally relevant pedagogy in higher ed. I’m currently expanding my work through speaking engagements, workshops, and collaborations that center on healing through education and the arts. My upcoming projects builds on my recent conference presentation, where I explored how first-generation college students process trauma through music and writing. We’re developing this into a community-based curriculum and podcast platform to broaden the conversation beyond academia.
At the heart of my work is a belief: that our stories no matter how heavy they are worthy of being heard, studied, and honored. That’s my brand. That’s my art. And that’s the legacy I hope to build.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Resilience
Resilience was not something I chose it was something I had to live. Growing up in a community deeply impacted by trauma, I had to learn early on how to push through adversity while carrying the weight of things most people couldn’t see. That ability to keep moving forward, to adapt and rebuild even in the face of disappointment has been a constant companion in every chapter of my academic and professional life.
Advice: Don’t wait for life to feel “perfect” before you begin. Start with what you have. Every challenge is building something in you endurance, perspective, and empathy. Document your progress and celebrate the quiet wins.
2. Cultural Awareness & Relevance
My journey took a powerful turn when I began integrating cultural context particularly through hip-hop into my teaching and scholarship. Understanding the lived experiences of marginalized communities and being able to speak to those experiences through relevant frameworks, opened doors for deeper learning and connection.
Advice: Learn from people who live differently than you. Study your culture and others with humility. And if your story hasn’t been traditionally included in curriculum or leadership spaces—bring it in. That knowledge is power, and it’s needed.
3. The Power of Authentic Voice
Writing and teaching helped me reclaim and refine my voice. When I began to share my story in the classroom, on panels, through research everything changed. People connected not because I had all the answers, but because I was willing to be real. In my Exploration of Hip-Hop Lyrics course, I teach students how storytelling and lyrical expression are tools for resistance, identity, and healing.
Advice: Don’t shrink your voice to fit into spaces that weren’t designed for you. Sharpen it. Own it. Your story has the power to inspire, educate, and transform first for yourself, and then for others.
At the end of the day, your journey is uniquely yours but if you stay grounded in who you are, keep learning from where you’ve been, and commit to walking in your purpose, you’ll find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Without question, my spiritual relationship with God has been the most powerful force in helping me overcome challenges and grow into the person I am today. Through every hardship, whether rooted in childhood trauma, academic pressure, or professional doubt, it was my faith that kept me grounded. God has been my constant source of strength, clarity, and direction. When I felt unseen, He reminded me I was chosen. When I felt unqualified, He reminded me I was equipped. My prayer life, my connection to scripture, and my belief that every experience serves a divine purpose have helped me develop resilience, patience, and compassion. It’s not just that I believe in God it’s that I know He’s walked with me every step of this journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://toneycerandolph.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toneyce-randolph-ed-d-53a24374
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
