After her lunch was taken as a kid, Brianna Kennedy developed a hunger for helping others

Growing up, the items inside Brianna Kennedy’s pink lunch box had all the makings of a nutritious meal.

What she didn't know, at the time, is that those lunches also would provide a very valuable lesson that would shape the rest of her life.

You see, for a period of time, those tasty peanut butter or ham sandwiches, along with the crackers and cheese and the Jell-O, weren't reaching Kennedy’s stomach.

Kennedy was in kindergarten. And she was experiencing her first encounter with a bully. Her tormentor would snatch the lunch box and scarf down whatever was in it, daily.

Kennedy's experience at the now-closed Southfield public school took place during the early 2000s. However, the lesson Kennedy learned helps to explain why she is literally wise beyond her years today. And she's delighted to share her wisdom and energy in a variety of ways that enrich multiple communities, including serving as a mentor for the nonprofit, Detroit-based W.I.S.E. (Women Inspiring Supporting and Empowering) Mentoring Program.

“I didn’t understand it at first, but that lunch experience (at Fred D. Leonhard Elementary School) was the beginning of the red thread that connects who I am today as someone who is always wanting to give back; always wanting to help, not just in my community, but other communities as well,” the now-27-year-old Kennedy said.

All thanks to those ruined lunches. And her mother. Shiree Kennedy immediately put an end to the lunch dilemma once it was brought to her attention by sending her daughter to school with two lunches for an extended period of time.

“I was complaining about the boy stealing my lunch, and my mother explained that he was taking my food because he didn’t have food at home," Kennedy revealed. “My mom would always give it to me on an adult level, and she explained that the boy was a foster child and was the smallest child in his household. And that instilled in me at a young age to keep an eye out for people who are not able to speak for themselves.”

Kennedy spoke Wednesday morning, a week before she is scheduled to begin a liberal studies graduate program at the University of Michigan-Flint. A portion of her college expenses are being paid for by a scholarship she received from Community Choice Credit Union, which selected Kennedybecause of her past history of “giving big” to others and future plans to “create positive change in her community.” Given Kennedy’s giving-back DNA, it really came as no surprise that instead of describing the adventures she will be diving into on a new campus, she preferred to talk about vision board parties, money management programs and other events that she will be participating in away from campus with mentees from the W.I.S.E. Mentoring Program, which brings together and enriches teenage girls from across the metro area, including the east and west sides of Detroit.

“I graduated from (Birmingham) Marian, a predominantly white school (for girls). So, the W.I.S.E. program connects me more with young women that look like me. And each time I meet a new mentee, I can’t wait to ask: ‘What do you want to do?’ ‘What are your interests?’ " Kennedy explained. “And from there, it’s about learning that if you put your passion into something and form connections, life will work with you.

“I’m also totally transparent that a path doesn’t have to be linear. Some people are able to go straight through school, but other people, like me, took a break. So I’m able to talk to the young women about what education looks like when you’re an adult, and the importance of staying focused on finding a way to achieve your goals and dreams.”

Through her graduate program, Kennedy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, will be studying the effects of gentrification over the past four decades on “Black and brown youth sports.” On Wednesday, Kennedy made the topic come to life from a social and economic standpoint by citing the important role that organizations like Detroit PAL and the Motor City Track Club have played historically in producing outstanding athletes, while contributing to neighborhood stability at an affordable cost for families.

“Olympians have to start somewhere,” Kennedy says, adding that she applies lessons learned growing up through karate, track and field and golf to virtually everything she does today. “As Detroit’s population changes, will there be families that are priced out of youth sports? That’s a very important issue for me and I want to be a voice for youth because I know how much sports have meant to my life.”

And if Kennedy says she will be a voice for Black and brown families in the youth sports arena, it is a good bet it will be done in the same vigorous and enthusiastic way she has approached other missions that have been important to her, including leading a caregiver summit for a national nonprofit; helping the University of Michigan’s Office of University Development increase awareness of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts; tutoring incoming college students; teaching golf to children from Detroit and Southfield, and more.

Then there is the work that Kennedy has done with the Michigan Parent Teacher Association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach Team, which may best explain how the proud daughter of Shiree and Brian Kennedy — and big sister to Brian Jr. — never sees barriers when it comes to making a difference in any space she occupies.

“No, I’m not a teacher and I’m not a student, I’m just someone who cares about education and I want to make sure that it is equitable and available to everyone,” said Kennedy, who since 2020 has used her Michigan PTA affiliation to advocate for increased physical activity for kids in school, and free breakfast and lunch, which will once again be an option for all students attending public schools in Michigan regardless of income during the 2024-25 school year. “And I’m someone who takes care of my neighbors, friends and community. It’s so important to build community wherever you go and work with people that have similar values and goals. You’re not alone, and you can’t make change alone.”

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/ . Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After her lunch was taken as a kid, Brianna Kennedy developed a hunger for helping others