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It’s graduation season, and DeBruce Career Corps members Kendyll Gethers and Kyra Afolabi, both 2025 graduates, spoke on their next steps, how tools in the Graduation Toolkit have guided their career path, and the best career advice they’ve ever received. Read on for their insights below:
Graduates, tell us a little about you:
Kendyll: This year I’m graduating from Raymore-Peculiar High School. I plan to attend Truman State University on a full ride scholarship. There, I will be double majoring in health science and social issues advocacy. I have been a longtime member of The DeBruce Career Corps, where I have learned about my Agilities©, my top three being Developing Others, Innovating, and Serving and Caring.
Kyra: I am a 2025 graduate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and in pursuit of a master’s in public administration. My goal is to support student success, and I hope to build a career in supporting youth educational programming. A passion project of mine that I plan to grow over this next year is to develop a transitioning program to empower high school students towards pursuing higher education and to receive early exposure to their potential career fields. My top three Agilities© are Organizing, Innovating, and Developing Others
Which Agility are you most excited to use in your future career? What will it help you do?
Kendyll: The Agility I’m most excited to use is Serving and Caring. This Agility is one that I’ll be using the most in my future career. With Serving and Caring, I’ll be able to help others when it comes to their healthcare needs and healthcare access, while caring for their well-being at the same time.
Kyra: I am most excited to apply the Developing Others Agility in my future career. The opportunity to encourage and uplift students and leaders of the next generation are the main qualities I aim to have in my next position.
What was it like being part of the Graduation Toolkit campaign this year? Why did you decide to help share the Graduation Toolkit?
Kendyll: I decided to help share the Graduation Toolkit because I wanted to take the opportunity to grow in my speaking skills and participation in The DeBruce Career Corps. I liked that I could use my voice to carry out the message of the Graduation Toolkit. By doing so, I wanted others to see my viewpoint and true feelings about the Graduation Toolkit.
Kyra: While I was reviewing the campaign materials, I noted that there’s a lot of considerations to manage following graduation – which will only benefit me if I put more attention towards it. I’ve decided to share this resource with the Class of 2025 because it is a relevant way to make the best decisions during transition periods.
What is your favorite tool in the Graduation Toolkit and why?
Kendyll: My favorite tool in the Graduation Toolkit is the Occupation Explorer. Before, I was never able to find careers that match my strengths. When I used this tool, I was able to see where my strengths fit best career-wise, helping me shift what I truly want my career to be.
Kyra: The Career Explorer Tools© introduced niche industries – that I wouldn’t have recognized fit in the scope of my professional aspirations otherwise. The popular question of the season, “What do you want to do next?”, builds a great deal of pressure. I prefer to have all the information before making a decision, but was overwhelmed by all the different choices out there. The Opportunity Explorer gave me a solid foundation to expand my awareness while being intentional with my research. I was able to navigate my Agilities© and interests rather than jumping to a conclusion based on what I knew.
Tell us about the Class of 2025. How do you think this class of graduates will make the workforce – or world – better?
Kendyll: When it comes to the Class of 2025, I think that they will make the world a more peaceful place. This is due to our ability to understand each other and bring out the best in everyone. With the Class of 2025, the world will be able to shift positively towards progress in troubling areas that affect more than just our country.
Kyra: In my opinion, the best way to describe the Class of 2025 is goal-oriented and high-achieving. We have the drive to challenge ourselves to be the change makers that are needed in our communities and professions, while respecting the wisdom that has been poured into us from mentors, educators, and loved ones. The Class of 2025 is resilient at the least and is ready to take action until a favored outcome is achieved.
What’s the best career advice you’ve received OR what’s some encouragement you’d like to share with your class?
Kendyll: Don’t let others make you feel unworthy of what you’ve worked for. I’ve experienced people who always tore me down by saying negative things about something I earned—for example, others saying I don’t deserve my achievements. From that, I realized that your true friends, colleagues, teachers, and more, are the ones to root you on and want you to succeed.
Kyra: A former supervisor left me with a valued piece of advice on refining my career focus. She encouraged me to reflect on the type of service I am passionate about and if there is any overlap with how I best contribute efforts at work. Then, she advised me to envision myself embodying the role responsibilities to determine if I’d enjoy making it my reality.
