Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaiya Murphy.
Hi Kaiya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland with a global perspective. Both of my parents valued education, community service, and impact; thus, they are three pillars that have governed my life. Since I could remember, I was exposed to my natural and build environments in a constructively critical way. I was encouraged to be a student ambassador in middle and high school, focusing on environmentally friendly cultural and community activities. Some of my programs were focused on the Tri-State region of Maryland, Viriginia, and Delaware, others were hosted in Italy, Greece, and Costa Rica. During those excursions, I learned money doesn’t equal happiness; human connection goes further than any resource. I love working in development.
In 2013, I moved to Atlanta to attend Spelman College. Some of my most impactful positive moments were my study abroad in Cameroon, focusing on development and social change, and meeting my Spelman sister and mentor that taught me about gardening. Both experiences influenced my graduating in 3.5 years with a BA in International Studies concentrating in International Development and become a Linking Income Food and Environment (L.I.F.E.) Peace Corps Volunteer near Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia.
My Peace Corps experience was life-altering because I was already able to adjust to life without consistent luxuries such as running water or even widespread electricity. I was jarred by the need for heating and fuel for cooking led to mass deforestation for charcoal production. By my sixth month in my community, the area I traveled through to one of the women’s groups I led was completely unrecognizable. So much so that I was lost for over 30 mins trying to find a new trail, and the women were worried. In order for me to find my secondary niche, I realized I needed more information about energy systems.
Once returning to Georgia, I completed an urban farming development program through Habesha Inc. and obtained a Master in Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management from Georgia Tech. Exposure to both institutions provided me with varying community perspectives, policy-related challenges to sustainability, human-related behaviors, and the effects of historical disinvestment. I learned the ways that energy and food systems complement and differentiate, such as anaerobic digesters and agrovoltaics. Now, working with Partnership for Southern Equity’s Just Energy Portfolio, I am able to take my international and domestic experiences with environmental management to help American Southern communities find ways to flourish.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I lost my mom at 13, moved to a whole new state at 18, lost my grandmother at 21, uprooted my life at least 11 times in the past ten years with two of those being international moves to Cameroon and Zambia. My time at Spelman aided in my healing with my mom tremendously and helped me finish with my grandmother’s transition. I will forever be grateful. Due to this, I have become a huge advocate for therapy, group sports, dancing, gardening, and meditation.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do a lot of things, for my current job I am a Just Energy Associate with Partnership for Southern Equity. I focus on co-leading our Just Energy Circle’s Education and Action and Policy Sub-committees, Southern regional community engagement, resiliency hub education and development, energy technologies advancements, and policy advocacy. I also consult with organizations, lead workshops and panel discussions on equity, energy, sustainability, and more recently energy-centered engineering, and write articles, poems, short stories, and scripts. In my spare time, I like to garden, hike, cook, play video games, and read.
I specialize in promoting self-sufficiency and individual and group healing through knowledge sharing, resiliency hubs, urban agriculture, sustainable building and clean energy technologies, and relationship development.
I am known for being bright, transparent, persistent, and authentic.
I am most proud of the relationships I have built and maintained, the knowledge I have gained, and the opportunities to apply and refine information.
I have a servant and visionary leadership style that can take new information, synthesize, and learn to apply in a relatively short timeframe. I am always willing to improve practices and share how something was done. Consistently, have I been made aware by others about how I have helped or inspired them, it fuels me to stay positive and impactful.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love how hard Atlanteans go for Atlanta. Whether you’re from here or have been a long-growing transplant, like me, we love it and usually go hard for it. I love how the city has grown and the creativity of attractions. I would say my least favorite thing is the prevalent isms that prevent people from being able to live and breathe freely. That is generally my least favorite thing about any place, though.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiyaequalsnewbeginnings/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaiya-murphy/
