Brandon Publishing & The University of Michigan’s Speakers Steer Students Toward Success

by Amiya Brandon

The University of Michigan-Flint's KCP program and Brandon Publishing have expanded their collaboration efforts this year from their initial anthology project (that started in 2023), allowing students to become published authors. The program now allows students to learn from local success stories and alumni. Professor John Girdwood, the project's brainchild, has continued to place young people in positions of success and empowerment. He consistently utilizes entities from his immediate community to facilitate students' ability to excel.   Kellen Brandon (Lead Curator at Brandon Publishing) and Girdwood put their minds together to figure out ways to create more engagement points for students outside of writing and submitting stories for publication.

"The goal with adding speakers to the process was to open their minds to the real opportunities of success that come from being a part of groups like KCP and participating in processes like our anthology," says Brandon.

Phil Pirkovic and Kala Anthony, two Flint natives, were introduced to the group of students to share their stories (for two consecutive weeks), empower students as writers, and provide insight into what it will take to succeed in their future careers.  Kala Anthony is a titan in independent fashion design. She's a guiding light for those embarking on their creative endeavors. Kala shared her business and personal struggles during the pandemic with the student group. She spoke eloquently about budgeting, learning your busy time, and managing when business isn't booming. Kala's path is an authentic mixture of challenges and victories, leading to well-deserved success.

Phil Pirkovic, the strategic mind behind the current branding of Shinola, discussed with students a patchwork of valuable experiences from his career. Each position/title Phil holds has served as a foundation for the next, simultaneously driving his career upward. Many of the projects Phil has steered and collaborated on are significant markers, underscoring his personal growth and the extensive range of his professional abilities. Both speakers provided a quantity of knowledge and wells of experiences for students to digest through positive channels. Although they are starring within two totally different markets, Kala and Phil were also able to share about overcoming the challenges presented by COVID-19. "Often, the average person doesn't think about how COVID-19 affected students at all levels. Arguably, the most social period of your life was stripped of them. Whatever they've used to keep going has to be seen as resilience. I wanted to ensure that they could hear about how strong they are by pushing through and showing up for themselves," an enamored Brandon states. Be on the lookout for more information about the publication of the University of Michigan-Flint's KCP programs book due to release in fall 2024. — AB