Kenneth Brown

"I don't like staying in one spot for long lengths of time. I like being – not busy, but productive."

— Kenneth Brown, Student Body President

Kenneth Brown is a Greensboro native and the oldest of eight siblings. When it came time to begin his college career, he knew that he wanted to stay nearby the people he had grown to care about.

“Elon was the only school I applied to,” Brown said. “In researching schools and communications programs, all these big name schools were miles and miles away and I didn’t want to go out of state. When I saw Elon, I was like, ‘Ok, cool,’ and I applied. And I got in, thankfully.”

Though he initially had dreams of becoming a sports anchor, his career track took an abrupt turn during the winter term of his freshman year when he realized there was another passion he had yet to consider.

“I was in the middle of working on this story and I was walking to Moseley,” he said. “I was carrying all this camera equipment and I just stopped and paused and I said to myself 'Wow, I really don’t like doing this.' I asked myself, ‘Well, Kenneth what are you going to do?’ I tried to think about what I really enjoyed and I really enjoyed helping people and helping to empower others. Human services was the closest thing to that.”

Since solidifying his major in human service studies, Brown has gone on to take up various leadership roles on campus to provide the support he is passionate about. As student body president, student coordinator for the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE); special events coordinator for the Black Student Union and one of two students on the Schar Center Advisory Committee, Brown’s weeks are always packed with multiple events.

Being able to connect with students and other community members in multiple ways provides a window into “a whole other world” for Brown. He says that in his conversations with different people and cultures, he is able to learn about issues and perspectives that he may otherwise miss. But simply seeing the impact that he and other students are able to have is what he considers the best part of it all.

“I like seeing what students can do, especially seeing students have a goal in mind and going through the steps of the process and actually executing it,” Brown said. “Seeing that growth and how people are affected is my favorite part of everything I’m involved in.”

Wednesday, May 2 - 10:52 a.m.: Kenny consults his planner to figure out his upcoming events. Though he doesn't feel the need to always use it, this week felt particularly busy. "Sometimes it does get it overwhelming if I forget to write things down and then I forget to do things," he says. "So then on top of the things I have to do, I have to remind myself to do the things I forgot to do."

Thursday, May 3 - 9:54 a.m.: A random conversation is sparked with another student about Elon's daily lawn upkeep as Kenny looks out a window in the CREDE. "I wonder does it harm the grass," he says as he listens to the lawn mowers outside.

Thursday, May 3 - 10:00 a.m.: A student walks into the CREDE to pick up her Black Excellence Award after receiving Kenny's email earlier that morning reminding students who were unable to attend the ceremony. Kenny presents her with her award along with a Phillips-Perry award cup.

Thursday, May 3 - 4:53 p.m.: Kenny begins adding events to his planner for the following week as he checks his email.

Thursday, May 3 - 5:00 p.m.: As a member of the Schar Center Advisory Committee, Kenny brainstorms outloud ways in which the facility can be successful with students once it opens. "Maybe Aramark can be integrated into the Schar Center with +7 [meal plans]," he says.

Thursday, May 3 - 5:22 p.m.: Kenny is asked to help with preparing nametags by a student planning for the upcoming Gala Latina event.
Thursday, May 3 - 5:33 p.m.: Student Government Association (SGA) members meet with Kenny in his office to discuss ways to make SGA's purpose more apparent to students.

Thursday, May 3 - 7:29 p.m.: Kenny sets out food for SGA's Chips n' Dip function located in downstairs Moseley. He's excited to be able to provide a time for relaxation and games before finals week commences.