LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kami Collins was nominated by Chris McGilvery, a member of her community.

Ms. Collins is a dedicated and passionate educator with over 15 years of experience. She graduated with her Bachelor's in Education from Howard Payne University and her Master's in Educational Technology and Leadership From Lamar University. She's an up and coming literacy activist who is on a mission to help grow lifelong leaders and readers at Hamlet Elementary, across Amarillo ISD, and throughout Texas. Her passion for education stems from her upbringing and her mother’s professional career in education. 

Ms. Collins’ mother, Shelley, is one of the biggest influences in her life. Shelley grew up in Mississippi, where she and her siblings were raised by a father who dropped out of elementary school and a mother who only had an 8th grade education. This situation only fueled the fire for them to change their situation. With encouragement from their mother and Mrs. Larry, their favorite teacher, Shelley and her siblings were able to break the cycle of poverty with their education. Ms. Collins was able to see how education can help transform lives at an early age because of her family's circumstances. 

Since Ms. Collins was raised with a family who poured confidence into her, she realized many students needed that positive role model and encouragement. She continues the cycle of boosting students’ confidence through her daily interactions between her and her students within her school community. She aids in helping her students embody some of her daily mottos, such as “treat yourself right, to treat others right” and “give rather than take.”

Ms. Collins grew up watching her mother take on many roles in education, working her way up from teacher to principal. She witnessed firsthand the benefits an educator can have on one’s life.

“If you want to know where I get my drive from, meet my mom. My positivity, love for volunteering, etc, comes from my mom. She was always there,” Collins explained.

As a student, Ms. Collins looked up to many teachers at Sam Houston Middle School. From 1994-1997, she attended Sam Houston Middle School’s Magnet program. During this time, the Magnet program took students from all around the city and created an environment that integrated STEM curriculum. Many teachers (including, but not limited to, Mrs. Wade, Mrs. Cilencki, and Mrs. Richardson) represented the great teachers (including her mother) who influenced Ms. Collins to enter the teaching field.  

Through various teaching and leadership roles across Amarillo ISD, Ms. Collins has continually helped students develop their love for learning. She even returned to Sam Houston Middle School as a science teacher, where she first fell in love with science. In her middle years as an educator, she developed the Sam Houston Middle School Leadership program and ran it for three years. This program helped her and her students grow as leaders through activities that integrated empathy, respect, and a mindset of growth.

“It was neat to come back to Sam Houston Middle School to work with teachers who were there when I was a student. It was nice that teachers remembered me,” Collins explained.

As a student, Ms. Collins was highly involved in academics and extracurricular activities, such as being a part of the choir, orchestra, and athletics, which all helped shape her leadership today. 

Every student has a story, and Ms. Collins uses her own stories to inspire her students.

“I understand how it feels to live paycheck to paycheck, but for some kids, that is a luxury. I want my students to see the value of education. As often as I can, I share my story, hopes, and dreams so my students know they, too, can achieve greatness with their education,” explained Collins. 

Ms. Collins has experienced so much in her life and career, but she holds onto the good. She lost two sons too early because they were born with Walker Warburg Syndrome.  Both sons were in hospice for their entire lives. The love from the nurses and community inspired Ms. Collins to continue to give and volunteer when and where she could.

“ I have been blessed to have my sons for the time I had them. I hold onto the memories of the special holidays and birthdays,” Collins explained.

Through stories and books, she advocates for education and literacy. This school year and the effects of the pandemic have shed a light on the literacy gaps many students are facing. This alone has inspired Ms. Collins to be a literacy activist.

Ms. Collins firmly believes that her students, and all students at underfunded schools, deserve consistent access to diverse books. Reading is a part of everything, and Ms. Collins decided to join The Leaders Readers Network to help prepare future leaders academically, socially, and emotionally for success in the community. Through community support from The Leaders Readers Network, she was able to help provide diverse books for every student at her school. Each student at Hamlet Elementary School received a brand new book that included characters that looked like them and represented their gender and culture. Ms. Collins firmly believes that a little extra effort can be the difference in students engaging in a book and finding that love for reading outside the school day. Through The Leaders Readers Network, she engaged her school to take part in service projects to support the growth of future leaders, helping students build confidence with leadership and literacy initiatives. 

Children who are not reading proficiently by the fourth grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school on time. In addition, 85 percent of minors who have been charged with a crime have trouble reading. Ms. Collins recognizes the significance of these statistics and the importance of reaching students early to break this cycle. By providing literacy and leadership opportunities, her goal, with the help of The Leaders Readers Network, is to reach as many students as she can early in their lives and break the cycle by giving them the skills and the means to do so.

Ms. Collins helped emphasize the importance of leadership by selecting positive, challenging, and shy students of all grade-levels to participate in the sorting and distribution of the books throughout the school. Older students distributed books to younger students, and younger students distributed books to older students. This experience provided challenging students, who are normally "too cool" to lend a hand, with the opportunity to witness the power of giving firsthand. In addition, the group of shy students were able to experience something outside of their comfort zone and enjoy interacting with others. As the word spread about what Ms. Collins was doing to grow leaders and readers, other students and teachers wanted to join in. It's leadership like this that demonstrates the power of teachers in our community. 

"Ms. Collins is making a huge difference in the lives of students and teachers in the Texas Panhandle," said McGilvery. "She has already helped distribute books to multiple campuses across Amarillo and the state of Texas. Ms. Collins is committed to providing diverse books to teachers and students. As a literacy activist, she is determined to help support teachers and students at various campuses with leadership and literacy projects. Through her active leadership, she is helping us reach all schools in Amarillo, Texas."