Kiana Brazell

At just 16 years old, Kiana began her college journey. However, her journey abruptly derailed when her father passed away in October 2014. She took time off from work and school, trying to cope and deal with her personal life. In the fall of 2022, Kiana returned to college and finished two degrees at Columbia College. She also completed a certificate in the spring semester of 2024. While taking child development classes, Kiana realized that going to college was a form of therapy for her, hence why she added another degree to her list of to-dos. “I now have my associate degree in child development with a certificate as an associate teacher/future educator,” Kiana explained. “I also obtained an associate’s degree in social and behavioral sciences.” Kiana said her favorite class at Colombia was children’s social and emotional development, which she said allowed her to understand the world through a child’s perspective. “This class allowed me to break down causes and effects of why children act the way they do, and how we as childcare providers can help them grow and explore the different emotions of life, that it’s okay to feel these emotions” Kiana said. Her long-term goal is to earn a master’s degree and become a licensed marriage and family therapist, in particular working with troubled youth. “I truly believe there is no such thing as a bad kid. They are crying out for help and it’s our job to listen, understand, and guide them through troubling aspects of life,” she said. Kiana said her care for children and compassion for youth stems from the service she recieved at Amador College Connect. “The minute I first walked into the door, I was greeted and told I could do it,” Kiana said. “Because of John and the lovely ladies at Amador College Connect, I passed my statistics class with a solid A and graduated!” In her free time to wind down from all her studying, Kiana enjoys spending time with her two little ones and reading psychological thrillers. She said a good song to sum up her college experience is “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. “Don’t give up! My English professor told me ‘Teka Teka’ which means ‘little by little,’” she said. “Focus on what’s in front of you, and little by little, you will get it done!”