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Q&A With Kaylah Joseph

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Kaylah Joseph
Intern, Office of the Mayor, City of Huntsville
Location: Huntsville, AL United States
Joined: Jan 20th, 2017

About (request update)

Sight is important because it allows us to see what’s directly in front of our eyes. Though eyesight is extremely vital to the existence and success of many things, I would like to present the idea that vision is slightly more important that eyesight. Vision is the act or power of sensing with the eyes. Vision is the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.

Before my third birthday, I was diagnosed as being a prescription away from legal blindness. As a child I lived in government housing, attended failing schools, and relied on government assistance for meals. As a full-time college student, I have worked multiple jobs in order to provide for my needs. I am a woman of perseverance. I am a woman who defies statistics. I am also a student who consistently encourages others to not allow circumstances beyond their control to inhibit them from reaching their full potential. I use my “privilege” to help those who cannot always help themselves. While my academic performance has afforded me a spot on my university’s Honor Roll, I have never allowed grades to be the determine my worth. My worth comes from my ability to serve.

Since the beginning of my college matriculation, I have continued to give back to communities that have helped shaped me. I raised over $4,000 for minority student scholarships and secured the title of Miss United Negro College Fund 2016 of Oakwood University. I have served as the Central Regional Director for the National Pre-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund, Director of Social Media for the Student Union for Clubs and Organizations, President of the Social Work Club, Treasurer of the Pre-Alumni Council, staff writer of my university’s newspaper, The Spreading Oak.
For the past two years I have been engaged in a lengthy process of role entry for a career in City and Regional Planning. During the summer of 2014, I had the opportunity to be involved with a non-profit organization called Leadership Exchange. During this experience, I traveled throughout the southern region of Africa and received first-hand exposure to the issues that affect the citizens of Maun, Botswana. Botswana’s response to poverty, HIV/AIDS, teen homelessness, a failing school system, and the lack of sexual health education seemed to me a blurred reflection of the issues that affect minority communities in the United States.

After returning from southern Africa, I was more convinced of my calling to fulfill community needs. I became a weekly volunteer at the Downtown Rescue Mission, a local homeless shelter in Huntsville, Alabama, where I served meals. In 2015, I served as a Global Justice Volunteer and traveled throughout South Korea, Hong Kong, and The Philippines assisting the migrant workers in crisis, and implementing preventative measures. I have been fortunate to serve as an intern in the Office of Multicultural Affairs in the Office of the Mayor for the City of Huntsville. This Office has given me the opportunity to promote community engagement, multicultural education, leadership development and social justice education between and among Huntsville’s international citizens and those native-born to our community. In the Mayor’s Office we also foster an environment that reflects the equal treatment and participation of all segments of Huntsville’s diverse, culturally rich communities in civic, economic, educational and social development. But there is more work to be done.

I have chosen to live life abundantly. I work hard and I do not let negative situations influence my ability to be a positive force in society. My vision is to help transform communities by providing them with someone who has lived in their community, defied statistics, and has chosen to receive an education that allows her to combine social work, public policy, community development, financial investments, and healthcare – while being a positive role model.

Education (request update)

Oakwood University class of 2007

Undergrad Major: Social Work

Claim To Fame:

Miss United Negro College Fund 2016 of Oakwood University Central Regional Director of the National Pre-Alumni Council, United Negro College Fund