Kevin Wright MA ’16 is a proud alum of the Higher Education Student Affairs Program (formerly student affairs administration) at the Lewis & Clark Graduate School, current social justice and global diversity faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University–Global Campus, and has been named a Class of 2026 Diamond Honoree by the ACPA–College Student Educators International.
ACPA’s website describes the Diamond Honoree Program, established in 1999, as a way for those that care about students–and the research, scholarship, and programs that promote student development and success–to help advance the association’s efforts. Diamond Honorees are “championed” by dedicated individuals who recognize their specific contributions and choose to raise funds in honor of each Diamond Honoree’s outstanding and sustained commitment to higher education through student affairs and student development.
Being recognized as a Diamond Honoree means I'm fulfilling part of my purpose in the life I've been given, as I know and understand that my ancestors did not send me here to pay taxes and simply pass away,” says Wright. “Professionally, it affirms that I'm not losing focus on the impact I seek to make regarding my role as an advocate for students, while also creating transformational change within the profession.
Kevin Wright, EdD, Higher Education Student Affairs MA ’16
Having earned his EdD in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University (now known as National University), Wright teaches Cultural Awareness in Online Learning, Problem Solving for Social Change, and Success Strategies for Online Learning. He says his teaching approach focuses on creating an engaging and inclusive learning environment that accommodates the varied needs of online student populations.
Wright describes his students as remarkably diverse, noting that he may have a 17-year-old and an 81-year-old in the same classroom, and students as geographically dispersed as Las Vegas, NV, to South Africa.
“Because of this diversity, along with the complexities and nuances of the subjects I teach, it is important for me to ensure that students understand the intersectional contexts of what social justice is, how it has manifested through different movements, and how we can apply principles of social justice to our personal, academic, and professional lives,” says Wright.
The graduate school’s social justice mission was, in fact, a significant contributing factor in his decision to earn his master’s degree from Lewis & Clark. Wright shares that he received five offers in total from various graduate school programs, but after careful consideration, chose Lewis & Clark to deepen his understanding of navigating a small, private, liberal arts college with a social justice lens, and expand his understanding of higher education through a different governance structure.
Ultimately, Wright says his career goal is to serve as the president of a mid-size public university. All candidates in the Higher Education Student Affairs Program participate in two hands-on, experiential practicums (one on-campus and one off-campus) that are facilitated by the program to increase students’ practical training and job readiness. Wright approached his practicum opportunities while in the program as stepping stones towards his presidential aspirations.
His first year practicum was hosted by the Office of Service Learning and Leadership. He describes that experience as eye-opening, giving him a better sense of understanding of how to apply a critical lens to servingness, community service, and community liberation work. His second-year practicum was hosted by the TRIO Student Support Services office at Portland State University. Wright calls that particular experience more than just a practicum, but also a full-circle moment.
“I am an alum of TRIO Student Support Services, where I was a participant of the program at Northern Arizona University. Without TRIO, I would not have been able to graduate, let alone become a successful 3x first-generation college graduate. This practicum gave me the opportunity to give back to the very program that is the reason for my success, and support nontraditional students who were navigating their undergraduate learning journey.”
Wright says that while his time at the graduate school helped him refine his career goals and better understand the kind of leader he wanted to be, his career destination did not change. His path to that destination, however, looks different now because “the program provided me with more clarity on how to get there in a way that aligns with my values and serving students, not my ego.”
Wright has remained strategic in his approach to career development, leveraging as many additional relevant experiences as possible post-graduation. These have included working in housing and residence life to deepen his understanding of revenue generation and the nuances of auxiliary services; obtaining conduct experience to learn how to interpret, write, and enforce institutional policies; serving in an advocacy role through multicultural affairs to improve his approach to navigating varying campus cultures with a social justice lens; and being active in the classroom to deepen his reach with contributing to a student’s holistic development.
Karla Silva, PhD, Director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives at the University of Arizona, nominated Wright for the Diamond Honoree program. She says he has consistently advanced student success and institutional transformation across his wide range of roles in higher education.
From his early work in residence life and leadership development to his more recent roles in diversity and inclusion, assessment, and faculty teaching, Kevin has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to centering students, particularly those from historically marginalized and first-generation backgrounds.
Karla Silva, PhD, Director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives at the University of Arizona
Wright stays current by reading about the latest trends in higher education, while also contributing theory, research, and practitioner-based scholarship and literature to the field. He maintains “the audacity to pause, take my time, and ask critical questions within environments that seek to only recognize my labor and productivity.” Drawing upon his time at Lewis & Clark, he continues to approach each situation with a lens rooted in equity and intersectionality, and challenges others to reimagine the ways in which we serve and support students.
When considering the most important advice he received as an emerging student affairs professional, his response is both elegant and poignant.
“Stay curious, ask questions, and don’t take on all the world’s problems. Remember to be here for the students, and don’t let your ego be the reason why you can’t continue to learn, grow, and be better. Equity and liberation work is a marathon, not a sprint.”
More about Wright’s work can be found on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/kevinwright2092/. Donations can be made to his Diamond Honoree campaign at https://bit.ly/klwright.
