Kuykendall speech highlights EHS awards
Chris McCarty
Kuykendall, an author, lawyer, teacher and mother, spoke to a crowd of 50 students, alumni, faculty and staff in the Charles V. Park Library Friday night as part of the annual College of Education and Human Services awards program.
The hour-long speech, titled “Bringing out the Best in Everybody,” used humor and anecdotes of real-life application to convey Kuykendall’s message.
“We can’t bring out the best in others unless we are willing to bring out the best in ourselves,” she said. “Whether you work in education, human services or you are just someone who cares, the reality is, all of you will come upon individuals who have yet to come into their own, and you need to take a few seconds to let these people know they are beautiful and you appreciate them.”
Kuykendall’s message was one of individual accomplishment.
“Each and every one of us is a winner of sorts because every day we have the opportunity to touch, shape and mold other people’s lives,” she said.
Kuykendall used stories from her life and ideas from her most recent book, “Dreaming of a P.H.A.T. Century,” to emphasize the importance of recognizing people’s differences and being a “merchant of hope” to everybody.
“Growing up in Chicago, my family was what you would call po’ ... we couldn’t even afford the o-r!” she said. “Then in the ’80s, they invented all sorts of terms like ‘dysfunctional,’ and you know that must be bad because they spelled it with a y! But I was quite happy growing up.”
She said many people who do not have hope in their lives will turn to negative activities to feel accepted, and every individual is worth caring about.
“No matter how bad it looks or seems, for every person there is something there, you need to give CPR,” she said, adding that CPR stands for compassion, persistence and resilience.
The speech was met with warm responses from the audience.
“She was one of the better speakers I’ve heard this year,” said Roger Coles, recreation, parks and leisure services chairman. “The entire campus should hear this woman.”
Angela Gerber, Holt senior, said she enjoyed how Kuykendall brought back memories of childhood and the struggles of needing someone.
“I wanted to become a teacher to make that difference in someone’s life, to be there for someone like someone was there for me,” Gerber said.
Other audience members were moved to action by the words.
The speech was part of the annual evening of recognition put on by the College of Education and Human Services. A distinguished educator award, two student scholarships and a distinguished human service professional award were awarded before the speech.
Reniero Araoz, 1978 CMU education graduate and eastern area director for the Lansing School District, was the recipient of the distinguished educator award. The human services professional award went to Ronald Reinke, a 1971 CMU graduate and superintendent of parks and recreation for the city of Livonia. Student scholarships were awarded to Tanya Donahue, Traverse City senior, and Rachel Ann Manzer, Nunicka senior.
