When Ki’Ambri Edwards graduates this spring, the people she loves the most will be looking on with pride. As she makes her way to receive her diploma, she will feel their love with every stride she takes. It’s always been that way. Her mother, Kimberly Hughes, and her grandmother, Darlene Hughes, are ready for the big day.
“Both are very excited and so proud of me,” Edwards said. “I’m fulfilling my grandmother’s dream in a way since she didn’t get to finish high school. I’m very proud of myself and happy my grandmother will be there to see me graduate.
“I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family.”
Edwards, 22, is the oldest of three. By earning her degree at Illinois State University, she sets the tone for her younger siblings. Her brother, Dauntae, 21, is a student at Western Illinois University. Her sister, Chrishana, is 14. Both will be there to cheer her on at graduation.
Edwards, a Peoria native, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She transferred from Illinois Central College in East Peoria. She applied to several schools but decided to come to Illinois State to be close to home and because a transfer scholarship made it more affordable.
She felt a quick connection to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and to key faculty members who made a difference in her life. She is grateful for the time she had with Dr. Intan Suwandi and Jennifer Woodruff.
“My department has been great,” Edwards said. “Dr. Suwandi is a professor I felt I connected with. She definitely impacted me and is a very patient person. I will remember Jennifer Woodruff for her kindness when I was a TA for her. She really has the ability to connect with students.”
“I’ve made so many friends from so many different networks. I’ve had great professors who I know will follow me in the years after I graduate.”
Ki’Ambri Edwards
One of the most pivotal moments in her undergraduate career almost didn’t happen. She took a class in the School of Communication only because a sociology class she wanted was closed. Dr. Byron Craig, assistant professor of communication, was teaching the class. At that time, Edwards found herself in a difficult financial situation and thought she might have to drop out of school. She had the courage to mention her dilemma to Craig.
“Dr. Byron Craig is a super, amazing person,” Edwards said. “He’s the reason I was able to stay here when I was going through a rough time and didn’t think I’d be able to register for classes. He said, ‘Absolutely not, we’re going to get you help.’”
Craig reached out to Dr. Joan Brehm, department chair in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, for help.
“She’s been super supportive of my journey,” Edwards said of Brehm. “She got me the help I needed.”
Edwards described herself as “very lost and scared” back then, adding that Craig’s actions made a lasting impact on her.
“He helped me out in a huge way and encouraged me to be that person for other people,” Edwards said. “He listened to me, acknowledged me, and he made me feel seen as a young woman of color.”
Among her many accomplishments, perhaps the biggest came when she and another student, Lawrence Landfair, co-founded the Student Navigators program in the fall of 2022. Student Navigators is a peer-to-peer program, meaning it’s run by students. Illinois State students who face serious challenges to their most basic needs are helped by other students. The program’s mission is to determine those basic needs and to identify and connect students to the resources they need. Student Navigators help in a number of areas, including: access to food, safe housing, textbooks, finances, health care, childcare, technology, transportation, and more.
“This is a completely new program that will continue after Lawrence and I graduate, and I take pride absolutely in being a part of this first safety net,” Edwards said. “I’m grateful and very proud to be part of something that will aid students in being successful.”
Fairness and seeking a level playing field are not new concepts for Edwards.
“I’m a child of the internet, so I became acutely aware of language that challenged the status quo, understanding marginalized communities, and social justice at a young age,” she said. “I knew about the U.S. and the world and about being connected to the world. The works of Patricia Hill Collins, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, and Toni Morrison invigorated me as a teenager.”
That backdrop explains her active involvement in the Sociology Club where she currently serves as president. She’s enjoyed helping plan trivia nights, pizza nights, guest speakers, and discussions for Black History Month. She said her success in that role was aided greatly by support from Brehm and from Ryan Gray ’97, M.S. ’00, her academic advisor and the department’s director of Student Services.
“I’m very proud of being involved with the people in my major and helping set a tone, plus helping get the Sociology Club going again after the pandemic,” she said. “I’ve gained a lot of skills and learned what works and doesn’t work by making mistakes. It’s also taught me better time management.”
In her immediate future, she’s looking forward to some well-deserved down time spent hanging out with her family, especially her little sister. She’d like to travel, get some work experience, and then start looking at graduate schools. She said her Illinois State experience has been an honor.
“I’ve made so many friends from so many different networks,” she said. “I’ve had great professors who I know will follow me in the years after I graduate.”
But making a small, positive impact while helping other students along their academic journey has been the most rewarding part, Edwards said.
“To lessen the load of my peers to enable them to get their bachelor’s degrees has been very impactful to me,” she said.
This story is one of a series of profiles on Redbirds who are celebrating graduation this May. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement this semester, visit the Graduation Services website.
