Appreciation & Gratitude!

What started as a desire to have a new experience beyond the confines of home, turned into a journey of learning about myself, my community, and the world around me.

Never in my wildest imagination did I believe that the kid who grew up in the inner city of Dallas would make the journey to Chicago, let alone to a city I had never been to, Salt Lake City. The journey personally and professional has been complicated and rewarding. I came to a real understanding of my calling to help marginalized young adults navigate their academic and personal journeys. As a first-generation Black college student, who failed his first semester of college, but ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication, and went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education administration. I thought I had achieved the ultimate academic success.

On Friday, April 17, 2020, became a significant life milestone; I successfully defended my doctor of education degree with a fantastic research team (Drs. Cabal and Cairo). Our study was titled – The Corporatization of Student Affairs: Student Success in Neoliberal Times. We had an exceptional committee chaired by Dr. Amy Bergerson and backed by Dr. Larry Parker and Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont.

I recognize that the journey to get those degrees is not accomplished alone. It truly takes an entire community. No one fails alone, and no one succeeds alone, and that is true because of the many folks who have cheered me on at my lowest and supported me at my highest. A big thank you to my mom as she was one of my biggest motivators to accomplish this degree. To Mr. and Mrs. Lydia for giving me no other option but to go to college. To Melissa Hudson & Rachel Garson, who help me navigate that first year of college when I failed. To Amanda Dipman, who provided me an opportunity to hone my skills and talents in the work environment. To Dr. Hannah Rockwell, who put the idea in my mind that I could do graduate school. To Justin Daffron, SJ, for being a consummate supervisor, mentor, and friend and believing in me to give me my first professional job. To Drs. Rob and Bridget Kelly for being the first Black administrators and faculty that inspired me to know my worth as a Black male and the excellence that I was destined to obtain. I also want to acknowledge, when I started this journey, I asked four individuals to write letters of recommendation for this degree. Thank you for believing in me and continue to be strong supporters of my dream; Dr. Tamara Stevenson, Dr. Jennifer Haworth, Dr. Justin Daffron, SJ, and Mark Ferne. I have had an incredible team of colleagues with whom I work with at Westminster that has given me the space to accomplish this degree. A thank you to the Student Affairs Division and my President and mentor, Dr. Beth Dobkin. I’m glad that I completed this journey with you all.

Most importantly, I want to thank my husband, Kelly, for being with me on this journey. I know you did not have any input into this decision, but I hope you understand that this journey was for our future. You endured many nights of me coming home late, being emotionally unavailable, forgoing travel plans, being dragged from one event to another, and a host of many other things. I know you are as excited for this day as I am for different reasons, obviously, but I can’t wait to cheer you on in your adventure. I love you so much!

And so, I now introduce myself as Dr. Karnell McConnell-Black!