SENIOR PROFILE: Leader in every lane
By: JAY WELBON JR.
May 11, 2025
Iyana Kinard
The sun beamed down over »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ as Iyana Kinard walks across campus with a planner in one hand and her phone buzzing in the other.
It is another packed day filled with meetings, assignments and a long to-do list — but she handles it all with a calm that only comes from experience.
“Honestly, I’m just used to it now,” says Kinard, a graduating senior from Greenville majoring in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. “If I’m not busy, something probably feels off.”
To say she’s involved would be an understatement.
Kinard serves as senior class president, vice president of the Miss »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ court and president of the National Society of Leadership and Success. That alone could fill anyone’s schedule, but Iyana had other goals in mind this year, too.
“This semester I became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.,” she said. “It was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve done during college.”
Balancing academics and campus leadership is already a test in time management. Adding the sorority’s rigorous membership intake process took it to another level.
“It’s not just about showing up — it’s about being present, accountable and intentional in everything you do,” Kinard said. “I had online classes, assignments due almost every other day and executive roles that required my attention.”
What pulled her through? Discipline, faith and a planner filled to the brim with notes and reminders.
“I didn’t have a heavy course load, thankfully but that did not mean it was easy. I had to plan constantly and make sure I kept my commitments, especially to the students who trusted me to lead,” she said.
Ask anyone who has crossed paths with her and they will tell you the same thing: Iyana Kinard shows up. Whether it’s organizing events, advocating for student concerns or supporting her sorority sisters, she does it with humility and grace.
“I wanted to leave my mark in a way that made things better for the next person coming behind me,” she said. “That’s what leadership means to me.”
Now, as she prepares to graduate, Kinard reflects on her time at »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓnot as a blur of responsibility, but as a journey of growth.
“I didn’t do it all perfectly, but I gave it my all,” she said. “And I’m proud of the woman I’m becoming.”
From Greenville to Claflin, from student leader to soror, Iyana Kinard has become more than just a name on campus — she has become a symbol of what it means to lead with purpose.