“I think the C in Coleman stands for community, because it feels like home for me.”
Written by: Tyler Wiest
Tell us about your childhood
When I was a child, I was often kicked out of the classroom and sent to the school break room. While I was there I would just sit there and look at staff members eating their lunch.
After that I went on to middle school from there, and I still had behavioural issues. I dealt with bullying and of course me retaliating, and in the class, I couldn’t sit still.
Maybe it was a little ADHD in there and it was just undiagnosed because I’m a girl. From there, I went to 7 different high schools, then I graduated from Five Keys Charter School, which has been amazing. The support level of smaller classrooms was very beneficial I was able to get my high school diploma.
And from there, I did things like JBS and my youth who also helped with getting me some jobs. Experience in being in the healthcare field. I attended Year Up, which is a technology school for 18- to 25-year-olds. Then I got my technology certificate, had an internship, and I was in that tech field for a while, and now I’m back in school.
Tell us about how you got connected with Coleman Advocates
Wow, okay. It just happened super randomly. I was attending my daughter’s PTA meeting, just seeing what’s going on and wanting to be involved. That’s when I first saw anything about Coleman Advocates. When I learned about what I could do, I said, man, we got to do more. I then went to a Coleman Advocate event, and after that event, I said, we’re not leaving, we’re locked in. And I’ve just been here ever since, with my daughter, of course.
I’m thankful for my daughter, because if it wasn’t for my daughter, I would have never been in this position, because I was fighting for her and not knowing that now I’m fighting for all of them. So it feels good.
Tell me about a memorable experience you had with Coleman Advocates
Oh, the board meeting, for sure. I would say that’s my top experience, just because Seeing them on that side of things as SFUSD alums and as a parent and as a common advocate, just to know what they’re speaking on, just to know what they’re presenting on, just to know what they’re fighting for, is all into one large circle. It was just amazing. I mean, being there protesting, being there in my shirt and my attire, I just felt really like an avenger, you know? I was saving the world and we’re all here, we were all suited up and now we’re about to go make a change.
Even just attending the meetings has made an impact on my mindset as to, wow, this is another cause as to why the board meeting has happened, because this is where the change starts, that’s what I love.
I love being with the community, fighting for the community, in the community. That’s it. We like community, that’s it. Home is. I think the C in Coleman stands for community, because it feels like home for me.
I just never felt like I ever belonged in a lot of places, but I feel and know in my heart I belong here and I belong I’m fighting alongside of my other Coleman advocates, alongside my other Coleman parents, alongside, we’re fighting for a better SFUSD, and that’s what I know, and that’s what I feel, and I feel welcome. I feel as if it’s the civil rights movement That’s for the kids.
To view Kiki’s video interview, with her public comment, you can see it here:
https://youtu.be/YEjKQe-9OT8
