Meet the Team: Kierra Byrd

Name: Kierra Byrd
Role: Program Coordinator
When did you join the team: January 2020

What about leadership development and supporting principals resonates with you most?

I am so honored to share in the great work of supporting and developing campus leaders. Prior to joining the PIC team, I rarely took time to really resonate and empathize with the capacity that is required for Principals to garner solutions and carry most of the weight of their teachers in a broader effort to ensure campuses are capable of meeting and even exceeding certain expectations.
 
What is something you have learned or taken away from PIC’s sessions and core content areas? 

Each session among facilitators and principals has been extremely enlightening and far beyond what I imagined they would be. Of the sessions I have been privileged to attend, I gained so much strength and clarity when observing the topic of Growth vs Fixed mindsets. Most importantly that having a growth mindset is far more than the ability to utilize intelligence but is a proven method of approaching and reframing our perspective of challenges.
 
How would you define equity for public education?  

I envision equity within public education as an atmosphere that cultivates the unique skillsets that each student possesses regardless of their socioeconomic background and ethnicity. Education is a unique facet in our lives that allows users to bring their full experiences to the content they are learning, and this should be consistent across all levels of education.
 
What three words would your community, family or friends use to describe you?

Compassionate, Servant, Optimistic
 
What educator influenced or inspired you and why?   
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Reminiscing to my sophomore year of high school, I recall moving to a new city and school district without any reputable knowledge of what this new learning environment would look like for me. From an original graduating class of 32 to finding myself among a class of over 560 students, I often questioned my value and purpose. What made me unique among a sea of individuals who had never heard of me?
 
Despite initial hesitation and fear of failure, I owe sincere thanks to the most patient instructor of mine, Ms. Holly Brookman, who saw potential in me that I was not capable of defining for myself. While we were both very quiet individuals, we shared the joy of learning and taking on challenges that presented themselves to be far more than we could handle. She reminded me that I was more than capable of excelling and achieving anything I actively put my mind to. Most importantly, she reminded me just how critical it is to take the first step in mastering my own life rather than being the driving force for someone else’s. 

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