Meet Kayla Kearney, IGNITE's 22-23 Philadelphia Fellow

Kayla Kearney is IGNITE’S Philadelphia Fellow. She currently attends Temple University and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a certificate in Political Economy on a Pre-Law track. Kayla is a Philadelphia native with a passion for her community-aiding in various ways such as outreach organizing through donation drives that collected supplies for homeless residents of Philadelphia. She has also had the opportunity to plan and host events within her community and college campus surrounding social and political issues through her role as an executive board member for the Temple University IGNITE chapter. Kayla is very passionate about juvenile reform and rehabilitation, she aspires to have a nonprofit that will provide restorative justice for juveniles as well as other programs to aid in juvenile development. In an effort to help now, she has had the opportunity to discuss the ongoing issue of the school-to-prison pipeline where she was able to host a Socratic seminar with students, and multiple guest speakers to discuss the issue. Outside of her continuing her academic aspirations, Kayla is currently volunteering with a local program that works to mentor students who are at risk for incarceration, and or has a parent who is currently incarcerated. Kayla hopes to continue to give back to her community through civic engagement, promoting it, and providing the resources that are needed for her community to thrive. For Philadelphia inquiries, please contact Kayla at kayla_k@ignitenational.org.