KENDRA HANSEY
Press Officer, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
University of Georgia ‘17
Colorado Springs, CO
Kendra grew up in Athens, Georgia. “My sister and I, we’re first generation college students and we’re first generation Americans as well. My mom is from Jamaica and my dad is from Bermuda.”
The summer before her senior year in high school, her mother underwent extensive open-heart surgery. She recovered, but the experience taught Kendra that life is too short to not try everything. “She had a ballooned aorta and it was the type that if you were to get too stressed, it could burst, and you bleed out and die within 15 seconds. That was a really stressful time in my life, but it taught me so many different things like gratefulness, the importance of family, and just having perspective. You only have one life to live, you need to maximize it.”
The HOPE Scholarship allowed her to do just that. During her time at the University of Georgia, she was able to pursue many different paths, including several majors and different certificates.
“I started off as a biochemistry major, and then made the switch to statistics. I received a certificate in sports media with minors in public health and political science. The burden that the HOPE Scholarship took off of me is huge. I have zero debt. I was able to pursue the paths I wanted to pursue and not have limitations of ‘how could I minimize my years in school so I can afford this?’ or ‘should I go to a community college instead?’ “
“The biggest thing I learned from my college experience was being able to interact with people from a variety of backgrounds. It taught me to be a better person, understand different perspectives, how to have more empathy towards people, and open my mind as well.”
One of her most significant experiences, not only in her college career, but in her life, was the opportunity to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Paralympic Games as a reporter with the Associated Press. “I’ve attended three games now, but Rio 2016 will forever be my favorite. I was obsessed with Rio and it was just so cool to have that opportunity while being a student. I was a full-blown reporter. I was able to put everything that the Grady College of Journalism had taught me into practice and be exposed to new things.”
Kendra currently works as a Press Officer for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Team and has worked on the Team USA Press Team for the PyongChang Winter Games in 2018 and the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2019.
In the future, Kendra hopes to eventually move back home to achieve a law degree from the University of Georgia and to one day become a judge.