Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program

Kimson Bryant is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) who served on the island of St. Kitts, located in the Eastern Caribbean. During her time with the Peace Corps, Bryant was a youth development volunteer assigned to work as a member of the local high school's guidance and counseling department. She also conducted HIV/AIDS education and outreach programs, taught prenatal classes, and volunteered as an instructor for ballet, liturgical, and Caribbean inspired dance classes. Immersed in the issues and concerns of the community she served, Bryant developed a broad range of skills in community-based work. When she returned to U-M at the conclusion of her 27-month assignment, Bryant became the first Coverdell Fellow at SSW. She continues to build upon and utilize the skills she acquired in St. Kitts with a similar immersive experience in Detroit with the Community Based Initiative (CBI).

President Kennedy gave his famous Peace Corps speech on the steps of the U-M Student Union, and I’m honored to be given this opportunity. The Coverdell Fellows Programs and the University of Michigan have chosen to invest in me because they believe that I have the passion and ability to create change, and that’s a wonderful feeling.

“I’ve become familiar with the city of Detroit, and that’s essential to effectively evaluating and impacting community organization programs. Because the organization is considered the expert in their field, you have to do the research and be prepared so that you don’t walk in with your own biases and preconceived ideas about what’s best for that organization. As the relationship develops, both sides gain a better understanding of each other’s role in the evaluation process.”

Through CBI, she’s been exposed to transformative community practice, a key component of finding practical applications for research knowledge and applying it to meaningful outcomes, particularly as it relates to enhancing health and community well being. It’s a multidisciplinary approach that she says will be instrumental in her future career. Bryant plans to work at the community level evaluating and impacting policy and treatment of older adults. In addition to her MSW, Bryant is earning a Specialist in Aging Certificate.

“I was selected by the Coverdell Fellows Program to be included in a great community of individuals who seek to be change agents in urban communities throughout the country. The funding I have received through the Program assures that the cost of attending isn’t weighing down on me and I don’t have to make a choice between working and learning. This allows me to focus on what I need to do to become an agent for change. ”