Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kennedy Robinson-Birt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kennedy, 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?
Growing up I always rememberd the stories the elders in my family would tell us about our “great great’s” as I called them, our ancerstors and linage and how their resilience is the reason for the benfits we as a family reaped. My family years ago as slaves who arrived in Hilton Head Island later to be transported to a small town in Georgia, worked the land that is now owned by the same blood that worked it. Robinson Loop is what it is now named. A land where my family fought to keep when people of the town tried to take it back from them, and land that generdations have had the ability to build their homes on, a land that I as a young girl was able to run freely with cousins and walk through unlocked doors to sit at an aunts table for fresh biscuits. As a Black woman today, when society so closely mirrors the same fight that my family had to endure to keep their legacy, their hisrtory, their land, and their promise, I remember where I came from and how my legacy is to persist and be resillent. If my family could do it with several odds against them and if I have benfeited from there sacrifce, how then can I return the investment. My resilience comes from the shoulders of my great greats, the endurance of my parents, and the foundation I strive to set for young people today and those who will be next in my legacy.
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?
I have worked in higher education for about 10 years within belonging and inclusive spaces that truly support the very root that birthed my resilience. Access to greater opportunity, support where representation is low and educating diverse generations on how to build inclusive cultures has been the focus of my work. I started my journey when I was 23 years old and one of the youngest professionals to hold a position within my university. Moving away from home to a completely different state where I had no family or trace familiarity I was determined to walk through every door God had opened and this position was truly God. However, not to long after, adversity quickly set in and I was beginning to question the very blessing that I prayed for. Being the youngest in the room is a very isolating feeling, even more so when ageism greats you at the tables you sit. However, purpose surpassed the momentary discomforts in being able to support students from diverse backgrounds. Helping the next generation have a space where they can breathe just a little lighter and guide them as an emerging leader has been priceless. From starting support groups for women to creating meaningful spaces for dialogue across generations in order to ensure that all could belong no matter what you looked like or where you came from is always meaningful. From starting as a young person on an assignment to chase God’s best, He has significantly blessed me in being able to not only progress quickly as the first Associate Director in that office to the youngest Director to ever serve in that space to now working as an Executive Director supporting a medical school, all before turning 30. To say resilience is the only reason for such growth, would be completely robbing God of the glory of how if it were not for his hand and guidance I would not have the ability to have a fraction of these opportunities.
Outside of higher education, I also consult with several business, organizations, and companies to create more inclusive work cultures and provide leadership development opportunities for their employees. It is one of my many passions to create thriving work environment that allow workspaces to excel and empower employees to feel valued and add value. I am always happy to provide educational workshops on how to create inclusive leaders, cultures of belonging, leadership development, navigate conflict during polarizing times and so much more!
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?
Looking back there are several skills or qualities that were most impactful for me. The first one would be activating or utilizing your community. Community has been pivotal for me in every area of my life, whether that be family, colleagues, friends, mentors or classmates. No one can arrive in places alone and without the moments of tough love from mentors, advocates who pushed me to greater or reminded me of who I am and where I came from, I would have turned back along time ago. My advice would be to lean into those who you trust the most, and step outside of your comfort zone and connect with those who inspire you, while simultaneously not forgetting to fill the cups of those behind you.
The next area I would call attention to is skill of adaptability. Working in higher education today especially in areas that have historically supported diverse communities, being about to be adaptability has been huge. Thankfully, I have had incredible mentors and leaders around me who have modeled what it means to be adaptable even when it might be unpopular. To me adaptability has been a place where I have allowed my creativity to come alive. It takes innovation to navigate the challenging times we are in as a nation and being able to think strategically to not give up or to settle for what “is” being adaptable is essential. My ancestors where adaptable in determining how the could keep their land when it was close to being taken from them, the great leaders of the civil rights movements where adaptable in navigating segregation and now we must be adaptable today to press forward despite the barriers because the next generation is depending on us.
Finally, being able to remain authentic to who you are. I always told myself I would never be the type of professional that forgets where they came from and loses the essence of who I am to conform to ideologies that are against my moral. There is a scripture that I love to meditate on that says “do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)” When I think about what matters most, it is being pleasing to God it is not conforming to the very place I was called to transform. Being who you are and staying sensitive to what is right and what is wrong no matter the cost, even when unpopular or inconvenient has kept me grounded and also helped me honor God in my work. Never lose your conviction and never let places change your light, because those who need it most will be drawn to it so that you can point them higher.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one obstacle I am facing now is navigating our current landscape we are in as a nation, specifically as someone who has served underserved communities. It goes without saying the countless challenges that are present in the world of higher education today that will impact access to future college students, free speech, and the experiences students will have in college. However just as I mentioned in the skills needed to be resilient are the very skills I am imploring to navigate and solve during these times. I wise person once told me the pendulum always swings and will swing back in a manner that will allow for the correction and realignment of the needs that are essential for an inclusive society. So what am I doing not to resolve this? I am strategizing, I am innovating, I am researching, I am collaborating, and I am exploring the tools that my family showed me in not succumbing to chaos but persevering through it, while also not losing the truth of why I do this work and who I do it for. When history is told, i want to be remembered for being on the right side and I want to be able to tell my future children and great greats that I remained and I did not quit, to tell them that I was resilient.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennedyrobinson-med/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennedyrobinson-med/
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