13 minute read
'LIVE ON PURPOSE'
UMHB LIVE ON PURPOSE
BY CHRISTI MAYS
CONTINUING TO
UMHB FEATURES
In the last issue of UMHB Life, we introduced the new UMHB brand, which encourages students and the campus community to “Live on Purpose.” A sea of purple signs and banners all over campus encourage students to also “grow, learn, believe, lead, serve, excel, play, etc.” on purpose. In this issue, we highlight two more students and a faculty member who embody our brand.
WORKonPURPOSE
Dr. Kerry-Ann Zamore Byrd
Assistant Professor & Director, Social Work Field Education
It is virtually impossible to summarize all the volunteer work Dr. Kerry-Ann Zamore Byrd has done over the years. Some of her earliest memories as a child are of helping her parents at church events on the island of Dominica, where she grew up the first 11 years of her life. After moving to Washington, D.C., she has fond memories of dishing up food in soup kitchens and assisting at homeless shelters. When she was 15, she volunteered to hold and soothe AIDS and drug-affected babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at a hospital where her mother worked. She continued throughout college serving hungry people in soup kitchens and collected barrels of food, clothing, shoes and books to send to a mission in Belize, where her parents worked. Zamore Byrd’s childhood revolved around serving others.
It was really no surprise to her family and friends when she decided to study social work in college so she could continue helping others. But that is where Zamore Byrd’s story takes an unexpected twist, and as a new social work graduate, she found herself in the exact position of those she was trying to help. Married to her college sweetheart, who was an officer in the military, Zamore Byrd became a victim of domestic violence (or, as she likes to say, a “survivor” of domestic violence.) That violence escalated for 14 years to the point it almost ended her life. “I was almost killed in that relationship,” she said. “The police saved my life, and my nine-yearold son saved my life at that time.”
Zamore Byrd started sharing her experiences with colleagues at conferences, which seemed therapeutic for her at the time. But at one particular meeting in 2013, as she recounted her story in front of 3,000 police officers, social workers, and nurses, all she could think about was, ‘they already know this. The people that really need to hear this are not in this room.’”
That realization helped hatch the idea of telling her story of domestic violence through stage plays and sharing them with the community.
That was about 20 years ago. And since then, Zamore Byrd, who has worked full-time for four years as an assistant professor of social work at UMHB, has launched her film and play business. About two years ago, she created a non-profit branch of her business, the Zamore Foundation,
UMHB LIVE ON PURPOSE
—Dr. Kerry-Ann Zamore Byrd
so she could further grow her mission. Since moving to Texas in 2010, she has written more than 30 plays and short films that her company has performed. All of her stories are ministry-centered and mission-focused, and most are centered around social issues that impact people and communities – like family dynamics and marginalized populations. Most of her team members and actors joining her plays are military veterans, and she’s noticed over the years that many have utilized theater to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The storyline for Zamore Byrd’s first play came to her in a dream. Her cast and crew performed for three sold-out shows with about 600 in each audience.
“At the end each night, we had people – men and women – come up to me in tears, saying ‘this is me. This is my life,’” she said. With her connections, she could point these people to resources and services for help.
Another part of her organization’s mission is to give back.
“Every play we do, we tithe back to the community, whether it is to a domestic violence shelter, a sexual assault shelter, sex trafficking programs, foster homes, etc., we tithe back,” she said.
Zamore Byrd’s community service doesn’t stop there, though. She also works with the many ministries in her church in Killeen, her parent’s mission in Belize, and her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, bringing free mammograms into marginalized communities and providing education on heart disease and diabetes.
A PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
These endeavors just skim the surface when it comes to listing all the community service, and mission and philanthropic work Zamore Byrd has involved herself in over the years. Perhaps the fact that the White House recognized her with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 4,500 hours of service helps put into perspective how much Zamore Byrd has done toward making this world a better place.
Without her knowledge, she said a friend and mentor nominated her for the award. This past October when she received the proclamation signed by President Joe Biden and an invitation to the White House, she said she was shocked and a “little embarrassed.”
“I was looking at all the different people who received the award, like medical doctors, Doctors Without Borders — you know, people who have done amazing things. I don’t know how I can be measured with them! I’m just somebody telling stories.”
Zamore Byrd said she would much rather the spotlight be on her workers behind the scenes and the actors on stage.
“I’m not doing what I do to be seen. My hope is that it’s not about me. It’s all about Him. And if one person can get the message of Jesus Christ through what I do, and be saved, then that’s
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what it’s all about,” she said.
“I have really good people who help me, and that’s the truth,” she said. “It takes a team and is not something one person can do.”
There was a time in Zamore Byrd’s life when she questioned God.
“’Why me? Why did I have to have so much pain?’” she would ask. “There were times I didn’t want to wake up. It caused a lot of trauma, a lot of selfdoubt.”
But over time, God allowed her to see His will. The experiences allowed her to be empathetic with others.
“I can truly meet people where they are, and even when they’re in the direst places,” she said. “I am able to say ‘God is still a restorer. He’s still a healer. He’s still a Savior.’”
PATH TO UMHB
Five years after surviving her abusive marriage, Zamore Byrd went into another marriage before she was fully healed. God showed her it was not His plan for her, and she was able to leave, but she had to restart with nothing. She found herself working 60 hours a week as a single parent, and it was too much. She had to put her stage plays and film production on hold.
“I had been praying, ‘Lord, I just need you to show up,’” she said.
One afternoon when she was guest-lecturing at UMHB, Dr. Isaac “Dr. G” Gusukuma told her he was retiring and that she should apply for his job. At the time, she only held a master’s degree and doubted she would be hired without her doctorate. That evening, she listened to a sermon, and the message was about how God “qualifies us.”
After a lot of prayer, she took a leap of faith and has never regretted the decision; she says God has provided every step of the way. Four years later, when you ask Zamore Byrd about making the move, she tears up.
“Working at UMHB has been better than anything I could have imagined for me,” she said. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. When I come to work, I can pray with my students. I pray with my coworkers. I’m able to do ministry. I’m just so grateful to God! He has me in a place where I feel like I belong. I can see all the bad was for a purpose. It was for His glory.”
Far left is the medal Dr. Kerry-Ann Zamore Byrd received as part of her President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. Middle, Zamore Byrd pictured with the cast and crew for Prodigal. At right, Zamore Byrd and her business partner, Nicole Williams, prepare boxes of clothing to send to a local charity.
Dr. Zamore Byrd brings her latest stageplay, “Mama’s Daughters” to UMHB Feb. 17-18. Learn more at kzamore.com/events.
UMHB LIVE ON PURPOSE
BY VICTORIA KUNTZ
— Price Peden '21
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EXCELonPURPOSE
Price Peden '21
Business Graduate Student | Flower Mound, Texas
Price Peden '21 remembers the day he visited UMHB to check out the soccer program. He noticed a different culture in the program than all the other universities he had visited. The coaches emphasized not only the athletic growth of each player but their spiritual growth as well. After choosing to make UMHB his place of study, Price played soccer all four years as a defender and forward, helping the Cru claim the American Southwest Conference championship title in 2018 and the regular-season title in 2021. "It was truly a blessing to grow spiritually with my teammates throughout my four-year career as a soccer player at UMHB," said Price, a native of Flower Mound.
His desire to make a difference didn't end when he stepped off the soccer field. Price served in numerous campus and community organizations, including Feed My Sheep, Love of Christ Food Pantry, Temple Baptist Church, and a local middle school student mentorship program. On campus, he helped with the Easter Pageant, Soccer Kids' Camps, and Champs Day events. He also assisted the university's Alumni Engagement office as a member of Student Foundation and served as a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Because of his involvement, strong faith and high GPA, the American Southwest Conference awarded him two prestigious awards: the 2021-22 ASC Community Service Men's Athlete of the Year and the inaugural ASC Man of the Year.
The new ASC Man of the Year award is presented to a graduating student-athlete who has distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in academic achievement, athletics excellence, community and campus service and leadership. Selected by the Council of Senior Woman Administrators, the Man and Woman of the Year awards are among the highest individual honors presented to a student in the conference.
Price attributes all his accomplishments to the Lord for leading him toward those who have pushed him to be the man God wants him to be. He thanks his parents, coaches and teammates for being great role models and guiding him spiritually. "I am truly thankful for their role in developing me as a soccer player and a great future husband, father and boss," said Price.
He also thanks his teammates for always being there for him and for the opportunity to grow with them. He says being with them helped him push through and gain the right mindset. "These awards are not possible without my brothers because they are the ones who taught me to be selfless and to want to be the best for those around me," he said.
Price, who graduated magna cum laude in May 2021, is now studying to get his MBA in finance at UMHB. He praised his professors and others who helped him throughout his undergraduate journey. "I am truly grateful for what UMHB has done for me spiritually, physically, and mentally as a man of God, and I look forward to seeing how the university will continue to change people's lives for Christ.”
UMHB LIVE ON PURPOSE
— Neika Daniel
BY AMY ROGNLIE
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CARE onPURPOSE
Neika Daniel
Senior Social Work Major | Belton, Texas
Instead of spending the Christmas holidays with her family and friends this past year, Neika Daniel traveled 17 hours by plane and bus to reach Tinca, a tiny, impoverished town in Romania. Neika, a senior social work major, is active in student leadership and passionate about serving others. Under the direction of UMHB’s Spiritual Life department, Neika led a team of fellow students on a weeks-long trip to serve disadvantaged populations in both Romania and Hungary.
The team’s original plan was to work at a Ukrainian refugee camp in Romania, but the quickly-changing war and political situation caused the Ukrainians to move out of the area. Instead, the students headed to a village of impoverished Romanian gypsies, where the team spread the hope of the Gospel by providing daily church services and programs for the children as well as food, gifts, and one-on-one visits with families.
“As representatives of Christ, we were there to look these people in the eye as equals and listen to what they have to say. We were well aware that we may have been these folks’ only interaction with the Gospel,” Neika said. “These shorter trips are all about serving others and listening. My education in social work has taught me how to listen and relate to others and establish rapport. In order to share the Gospel in the right way and at the right time, I have to know a little bit of someone’s story.”
In Hungary, the students delivered Christmas gifts and needed resources to the homes of underprivileged children and their families. The team also worked with the Hungarian Baptist Aid, which is similar to the Hungarian Salvation Army, by serving in their soup kitchen and helping to meet physical and spiritual needs.
No stranger to serving others, Neika recently spent a month in Turkey, working with natives and Iranian refugees. She has also taught ESL (English as a second language) classes at her home church, First Baptist Church of Academy, and has served in various roles in outreach at both her church and the college.
“For me, the global mission is an essential component of my faith in Christ,” Neika said. “I believe that the purpose of all Christians, young or old, is to share the Gospel in your neighborhood, 14,000 miles away, and everywhere in between.”
Neika’s service to her own community here in Central Texas includes a recently-completed year internship at the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) where she worked exclusively with the geriatric population in Central Texas. One of Neika’s main roles at the AAA was in long-term care: helping people find a nursing home or other care for elderly parents, walking with clients through end-of-life anticipatory grief, and generally holding people’s hands and being there for them.
“People are not only physical or mental, we are impacted by the social, emotional and spiritual as well,” said Neika. “When you approach people this way, you stop seeing them as clients or patients but as people with unique stories and circumstances that require an individualized solution.”
