Briana Tolbert

University Academy, Class of 2023

Briana Tolbert is a high school student at University Academy. She lives in Kansas City with both her parents Ebony and Brian Tolbert. She also has two older siblings Alexis and Leland Tolbert. She participates in extracurricular activities like cheer, soccer, student council, National Honor Society and 20/20 Leadership. Outside of school she likes to read, cook, watch movies, spend time with her family and friends, and work on her podcast, New Generation Speaks. 

As a student at University Academy since Kindergarten, what have been your favorite experiences at school? 

I already know my teachers.  My siblings also went to UA so I already knew many of my teachers. Many of the teachers are still there.  My family had great relationships with the staff so that was nice.  There was a sense of community and family there with my friends.

Who have your role models been at home and at school? How do they impact and inspire you?

My biggest role model at home was my big sister Alexis.  She is 8 years older than I am.  She talked me through many experiences because she went through them.  She was always there for me.  She always had some type of advice for me.

My Pre-calc teacher at school has been my role model, Ms. Kenyon.  She impacted me (first year teaching me) by always being a good listener and very attentive.  She checks up on me when I’m not as talkative for example.  She is always willing to help me by taking time to talk to me about things that are outside of school.  She makes time for me.  That is important for me when I think about connecting with an adult.  She always checks in with me and other students to make sure that we all understand our material.  She gave us all Valentine’s Day cards with personal messages.  That makes her a good teacher.

My sister has inspired me because I can look at her and see that I can do great things as well.  Our paths aren’t the same, but she has guided me in my path so much that I can visualize doing well in the future.

Ms. Kenyon pushes me to do the hard work in school and outside of school.  Sometimes the hard things aren’t as hard as I think they really are.  

Both you and your sister have participated in the 20/20 Leadership program – what has this program meant for your family? Why did you choose to get involved?

The program helped my sister because today she works in the nonprofit world and the program helped her step out into the community and be the leader that 20/20 helped her to be.  My Dad is totally in love with 20/20 Leadership.  He always asks me about the program days.  He and my Mom are interested in knowing what is going on with the 20/20  Leadership Program.  My Mom is big on the opportunities that are given to us.  She appreciates everything that has been given to us in the program.

I chose to get involved in the program because I saw the impact that it had on my sister.  I saw that it allowed me to do things outside of the school environment and I really like to do things like that.  I enjoy being a leader so 20/20 leadership was perfect for me.

You started your own podcast which focuses on giving greater voice to young Black people in Kansas City – what inspired you to start this podcast? What has your experience been through doing it?

I started this podcast because of COVID and being quarantined.  A lot of things happened.  I was in the house with my family a lot and we had lots of talks about what was going on with the news.  I felt like I was silenced in a sense because my parents and siblings were older and they would take over the conversation.  I wanted to be heard.  The podcast was the perfect opportunity for me to be heard.  I knew some of my peers felt the same way too.

My experience has been amazing.  I get to have lots of freedom! I get to come up with the topics.  We have talked about the Black Lives Matters movement, being a teenage worker, and teenage relationships.  At the same time with having the other activities that I do, it can be stressful.  I have to be self-disciplined and stay on top of it.  It was hard at first, but I have managed to figure it out.

Your post-high school goals are to attend a HBCU and to become a classroom teacher – what inspires you to become an educator, and what do you hope to do for your future students?

I was inspired to become a teacher back in elementary school because of my love for school.  I used to clap my hands a lot when I was little when I would get ready to go to the first day of school because I was so excited to go to school.  My teachers also inspired me to be a teacher.  They checked on me and asked me what was going on with me outside of school.  Those are the teachers that I want to be like.  I have plans to open my own school one day and earn a degree in school administration.

I hope that I am a teacher that helps them academically, but cares about them too.  I hope my teaching style is more than what the government requires; I hope they really can connect my teaching to the real world.