Kendra was born and raised in Jamaica Queens, where she grew up learning the value of education. Lessons that transcended the physical partitions of any learning facility. This was so much a part of her early childhood that Kendra was in love with the concept of teaching as well; language ultimately being the vehicle by which information is shared and synthesized. “I loved school,” Kendra exclaimed. “Whether it was poetry, or a research paper, I wanted to write it! I began performing spoken word during my undergraduate years at Hunter College, where I studied history and anthropology.” This ultimately, and even poignantly, formulated an interest in Kendra in heavy subjects such as millennialism and education which started to become the subject of some of her writings. Little did Kendra know at the time how much more her horizons would continue to broaden; here is how she describes it in her own words.

“After graduating, I discovered my other great love, [traveling]. I studied in Kassel, Germany and taught English in Berlin, Germany. After a year, I returned to New York to teach elementary school children for two more years. In 2019, I also published a poetry anthology with my sister Jaida, entitled We Are Already Here. I have since returned to Germany to pursue my master’s in history and economics with future plans of working in data management for an educational non-profit. My hobbies include writing poetry, creating Youtube Videos and visiting museums and art exhibitions.”

Kendra’s love for teaching and poetry took root from an early age and flourished as interacted with students and worked in various locations. This in term also had an impact to a degree on her writing. Kendra and her sister Jaida Co-authored an anthology called “We Are Already Here,” where many prevalent issues such as “Blackness,” “Womanhood,” and “world experiences” is spoken about in their pieces. Indeed, these topics are heavy because of the environment we live in today, but it has always been hot topic that young black women face every single day. One video on Kendra’s channel called ” being black in Germany ” (Which surmounted 23,000 number of views on Youtube as of March 28th) delineates one instance how challenges young black women face in various locations in the world. Kendra’s youtube channel is filled with amazing advice and experiences she had both living and teaching in countries; you can check out her writing and her channel by clicking the hyperlink at beginning of this article. Many of these nuances interactions and experiences are not uncommon or unusual; Kendra endeavors to create an open dialogue in her video and writing where other people like herself can begin to relate an feel comfortable sharing their own experiences. At the same time, as double entendre, provides a glimpse for people of different demographics to see things from a different perspective. Furthermore, this enables Kendra to have a deeper reflection on her day to day experiences and internalizing the things that has led her to the point she is currently in her life.

“Over the last few years as I have come into adulthood, I have been working on building a closer relationship with myself and becoming more introspective. I believe this relationship building has contributed to how I handle stress and difficult moments in my life. Although I had already committed myself to being highly aware of and addressing my emotions, I wasn’t always sure what to do with that hyper-awareness. In therapy, I learned to affirm those emotions that I feel in times of tribulation, practice mindfulness to regulate those emotions and more forward logically afterwards. Through practices such as journaling and mediation, I am able to actually center myself and approach my problems more calmly and in a level-headed manner. After I’ve taken the time to slow down and address the root of the problem, I can begin solving it. It also helps that I surround myself with optimistic and emotionally-intelligent individuals that encourage this journey.”

Ultimately, everything boils down to that lesson that Kendra was taught since her childhood, the value of education. The more she learns, the more determined she is to share and inform. In many ways, Kendra’s work has opened avenues for deep discussion regarding the treatment of race and identity in different societies. I personally felt very inspired by Kendra, leaving home and pursuing her dreams abroad. I recall the nervousness I felt studying abroad in Barcelona for a summer program, so nevertheless, this takes courage, passion, and a strong focus on a goal. Kendra is an example for all that your aspirations in life are only limited by the constraints we ourselves place on those things.