SYNERGY - Juneteenth 2022

Kerby Hypolite

Story By: Jordan Blaine

I finally have the opportunity to give back in the way that I wish someone would have gave to me,” said Kerby Hypolite, the College Success Coach at the Education Foundation in Gainesville.

Today, Kerby helps high school students move onto the next level of their education and guides them to help open the door to what is real life. However, this hasn’t always been Kerby’s success story.

Being a Haitian-American, Kerby was born in the Carribeans before making his way to Florida at the age of 5, with his parents. Attending different schools due to his family moving, Kerby says high school was when his challenges began. “I didn’t have a vision, I didn’t have focus, I didn’t have any goals at any point. I really didn’t know where I was going or what I wanted to do,” Kerby says.

After graduating from Evans High School in Orlando, Kerby says, “I had nothing else to turn to.” So Kerby found himself working at a fast food restaurant- but one Saturday morning phone call would change his plans. Soon, he would find himself joining the military and moving to San Diego, California where he was enlisted for nine years in the U.S. Navy.

After leaving the military, Kerby decided he wanted to return to get his college education where he attended the University of Central Florida and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production in 2018.

Stepping into his current role of being a College Success Coach at the Education Foundation, Kerby says this role helps him give back. “It’s a job that when I get to sit down and talk to these high school students I get to reflect and it’s almost like I’m talking to myself.”

Monitoring grades, monitoring students’ behavior, and in charge of anything academic for his students- Kerby works closely with high school students taking part in the Education Foundation to make sure they stay on the right path to receive a two-year, 60-credit scholarship when it comes time to graduate.

“I’m not just giving back to them, I am giving back to myself and I have two little boys so it’s even more imperative that I am in tune school-wise.”

The husband and father of two says the Education Foundation helps him leave a legacy for his family. “At the end of the day, I know I’m doing my part to help these kids because I have been in a similar situation.”