Kimberlee West Not Letting Anyone or Anything hold her Back!

"Dream big!"

?When you really think about it, a lot of people do have wild fantasies and visions of doing and achieving great things in life. What happens? Life throws boulders at you, meant to discourage you. What sets big dreamers aside? While society might work to dismiss their dreams, these individuals know that the true payoff comes when you hold on to those dreams. They see the world as a place where anything is possible, and they take action to make it happen.

?Brothers Who Care would like to introduce you to the “Dream Series,” a three-week series that will be highlighting individuals whose dreams are a part of their genetic fibre – their overall make-up. They have never thought small because they refuse to be hindered by the standard limitations that many of us allow to hold us back.

?These stories will inspire you, and you might even feel some nostalgia. Our goal is to capture the dreamer inside of you and bring him/her to the surface. We want to start with the story of a young girl, who thought she was pretty average compared to her sisters, but little did she know, inside her was a light glowing so brightly, a light that eventually she couldn’t even deny.

?She wasn’t a sports oriented person, or an A plus student. She saw herself as being average. She had an older sister who was a path to be a lawyer, and a younger sister who was a gifted soccer star.

?Kimberlee West was born in Toronto, an grew up in Scarborough, and as much as she lived in an area that some would consider high-risk, she didn’t see it that way. Her dream; it was to live all over the world. From the age of four she knew she didn’t want to live in one place. She also knew she wanted to live a flexible life. She wanted to be able to do what she wanted , and not be tied down to the traditional definition of work.

?As a young black child of immigrant parents from Jamaica there were a number of stereotypes ascribed to Kimberlee that she did not understand.“I grew up in a two-parent home, and most of my friends were black and had both parents. What I witnessed around me seemed normal, but for some reason, what I saw on television didn’t reflect my reality.”

?Her mother was very involved, and made sure that she went to a better school, outside of her neighbourhood. It was a little difficult adjustment for Kimberlee, because was either the only or one of two in a class of non-black students.? She was considered an “oreo” (a derogatory term used towards black individuals that are well spoken).?

How life would have it, high school was when her light was first noticed.?One of her teachers saw something in her, and had the ability to pull it to the surface.

?“My favourite science teacher suggested that I join the debate club. This is where I met my second favourite teacher. She told me that I was a natural speaker. Joining the debate club also helped me in English class. I think I had a C at the time. My teacher encouraged me to write the way I spoke and to take the time to review my work before submitting it to be graded. That was a game changer.”

?Entrepreneurship was not a novelty in Kimberlee’s world. One of her favourite aunt’s owned a bakery on Eglinton West. She saw how fondly people spoke of her aunt. She witnessed her aunt making food, having fun, getting paid, and being loved. That seemed pretty cool!

?She also remembers her father being an entrepreneur, even though at that time she didn’t quite know what that word meant. What she did know is that he started his own business and she remembers helping him with bookkeeping. This was where she learned to track expenses, and keep the books in order. To her, entrepreneurship was not a big deal; it was just another way to make money.

?Well, you know with Caribbean parents, ?they usually have a plan for you and entrepreneurship was not part of the plan. Kimberlee knew at a very young age that she would have to attend university.

?“I studied Political Science. I loved math and science in high school, I wanted to be a chemist or biologists but I was failing grade 13 algebra, calculus, physics. To protect my grade point average I had to drop those courses and then, so it was a scramble to find out what else to do. The positive of university is that in that first year, you get to figure it out. I initially signed up for public policy, and end up also majoring in economics and minoring in international studies. International studies fed into my dream to travel.

In undergrad, I had the opportunity to live and study in Jamaica. I went to the University of West Indies and lived on campus for four months. This was a transformative time for me. I was not the other and I was more than my physical identity. I was able to be just Kim. I saw people that looked like me in prominent positions and living amazing lives."

"I used this opportunity to learn more about Black Caribbean history, the true history of our people." It wasn’t until year later that Kim would reference this experience as an awakening on the importance of representation. I came to realize that seeing yourself, and knowing your worth outside of your skin tone is so important in building ones confidence.”

?After she graduated, her first job was working at the Rothman School of Management. She worked on the Executive MBA Board. program as a coordinator. The program was a little different from a regular MBA because the students were already accomplished. As luck would have it, MP Mitzi Hunter was a student. The impact of seeing Mitzie along with many other influential students was another turning point in Kimberee’s life.

?“Working for the Executive MBA program I was fortunate to get opportunities to build relationships with the students. The program including catered breakfast and lunch and I could sit down with them and ask them my burning questions. One of which was: ‘Why are you here?’ It was an aspiring time and a very lucky first job. I came to understand that learning doesn't stop at University, it is a life-long journey. It was fascinating to hear about their dreams, hopes, passions, and the fact that they were actively making them happen.”

Kimbelee started to realize her own ability to manifest her dreams. Remember, her dream was to travel, well beyond getting to live and study and Jamaica she was now off to live in Europe. Encouraged by the Associate Dean of the Executive MBA program she lived in England and France and attained her Masters Degree in European Business. A mix of business and international development studies.

?“Throughout all of this, I came to realize one thing. If you are showered with representation, it helps you navigate the world, and it builds your identity and confidence. ‘Yes! I belong here.’ It becomes easier to say that. We are allowed to be in any space. This is what brought me to founding Kids Swag.”

?Kimberlee knew that she had to take action when her eldest daughter - Kiera - told her at the age of two that she wanted blonde hair and blue eyes. Naturally, this saddened Kimberlee. She recognized the role she had played in her daughter's narrow view of beauty (Disney and other popular mainstream cartoon characters were a mainstay in her home) and knew she had to become more intentional about the images, words and experiences she shared with her girls. In 2016, Kid Swag (https://kidsswag.ca/) came to life. The goal? To help parents raise confident children that appreciate their differences.

?Alongside the brilliant work that she does with Kid Swag, Kimberlee is a Marketing Director at a tech firm in the US. With everything Kimberlee has accomplished, she admits that she is still dreaming, and even though she has not done everything yet, she is enjoying the journey. Her recognition of self worth continues to lead her to places that at one point were unimaginable.

?Her advice to fellow dreamers

?“Stop holding yourself back!”