Meet Kayla Mejia, proud member of the pride of 2023 at KIPP Durham. Kayla is seen as a good friend to many students, a hardworking student to many teachers, and as a loving daughter to KIPP's Office Manager, Cynthia Vargas. Cynthia, a KIPP alumnus, reflects fondly on her time at KIPP and reveals she always knew she would send Kayla to a KIPP school. KIPP pushes Kayla to work hard and strive to be the best that she can be. Lucky for Kayla, she is not expected to go through this journey alone - her mother, teachers and friends are by her side… every step of the way!
I really enjoyed spending this semester getting to know Kayla, Cynthia and the other members of KIPP Durham. It was incredible to see the dedication of each member of staff to work with students at school, after school and even on the weekends. I thoroughly admire their commitment to improving the education and the lives of each student at KIPP. Additionally, having the opportunity to capture Kayla's willingness to spend so much of her time at school was a valuable experience. Attending KIPP is definitely a unique middle school experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to photograph a small segment of what KIPP has to offer.