We are so excited for the Class of 2020.
They were born during 9/11 and had their first memorable President to be a Black man.
They witnessed women rising and challenging the status quo, using their voice. This Founder remembers Shirley Chisholm and her run for presidency, the young women in this literary circle will have Stacey Abrams run for governor and Kamala Harris run for president. They are resilient and cementing themselves in society.
We wanted to take a moment and honor one of our seniors. Like those who went before her in this literary circle, she has excelled in high school, found her passion, and put thoughtful consideration into her future.
Kiden-Aloyse is a senior at Kirkwood High School. She is an honor student, President of the Black Student Union, member of the Track & Field Team (shot-put), writer and editor of the award winning The Kirkwood Call, a class officer for all four years, a violinist, and so many other accomplishments where she used her strong intersectional feminist voice and pen to make a difference. Kiden-Aloyse is on a special assignment with Teen Vogue, called TeenVote and was one of the high school reporters covering the Bernie Sanders Campaign when it was in St. Louis on March 9, right before the world shut down due to Covid19. She voted in her first election on March 10th. Kiden has traveled internationally to Geneva, Switzerland, Versailles and Paris, France as part of the exchange program. She hosted two French students. Kiden has been a reading buddy at the Kirkwood Public Library for five years and this summer will serve as a literary intern with the middle school section of this program.
One of the honors we have had is seeing the young people matriculate and go on college. Our alums have attended Alabama State University, University of Missouri at Columbia, Webster University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Boston Conservatory, to name a few. We are adding to that list with Kiden set to begin her freshman year of college as a journalism/psychology major who will also play violin in the orchestra.
To the Class of 2020, we salute you and applaud your accomplishments. We are excited about all your possibilities and want you to reach up and grab a star!
