Name: Alaina Kinney
City: Benton Harbor, MI
Workplace: Lakeshore Public Schools
Title: High School English Teacher
How do you think that Bold Women of Business demonstrate being bold?
Bold Women of Business demonstrate being bold through leading by example and empowering others. In my role as a teacher, it is important to me that I show students they have a voice that deserves to be heard and the potential to become whomever they want to be. Bold women also celebrate the success of others – when one woman succeeds we all do.
Bold women are often defined by a number of descriptors. Please choose from the following descriptors to produce the top three that you would say most exemplify your personality?
Confident
Courageous
Strong
Please provide an example of when you feel you were at your very best in taking action on the job or in your role.
Like I said, empowering students is a priority for me. Several years ago I started Prism, Lakeshore’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance which allows LGBTQ+ students a space to form a community where they feel accepted. Additionally, I started the Student Voice Club which gives high school students the opportunity to work closely with teachers, administrators, and the Board of Education to advocate for themselves and implement positive changes in Lakeshore High School.
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened on your road to success?
I don’t know if I can point to one particular event that was the funniest. One of the best parts of my job is that something funny happens every day and makes work enjoyable.
Who most inspires your personal drive for success every day?
My students. I look around at the kids at school and see the future and it is so exciting. They are honestly such cool people and bring such a diversity of experiences, thoughts, and beliefs to the classroom. They inspire me to continue learning and pushing myself so that I can be a small part of their journey and future successes.
What is your best advice to women in Southwest Michigan looking to succeed, as you have, in business?
A couple years ago I started a “Summer of Yes” and said yes to new opportunities when I otherwise might have turned them down. Making this change has opened up so many exciting doors that have allowed me to grow as a person and professional. Some of the new opportunities have made me nervous at first, but ultimately they have all been positive experiences.
What does your selection to the ranks of the Bold Women of Business from Moody on the Market mean to you?
This is such an incredible honor. To be recognized alongside such accomplished women is both humbling and inspiring.
