As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to take inventory of our inner strength as we prepare to navigate societal challenges with resilience and joy! In the first episode of our new series, “Owning Your Strength,” we are joined by Kwynn Townsend Riley, Director of the Office of Black Student Services at Loyola Marymount University. This award-winning poet, author and first-generation graduate shares how overcoming doubt and honoring her inner strength helped her forge an authentic community, nurture Black student pride, and support social justice on campus. Through her own poetry, cultural events and programs like the Umoja Alliance and The Learning Community, Kwyn reminds students they are not invisible and that joy and resilience are acts of resistance. In this dream job, find out how she encourages students to believe in their unique power, and lead by being their best, irreplaceable selves. Kwyn completed her M.S. in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University, and she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. This proud Southside Chicagoan is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner and artist. As a Black Queer Feminist, she envisions a world where we all are free. Kwyn is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100), Chicago Scholars Associate Board and serves on the PAN Directorate Board for ACPA (American College Personnel Association). She is a decorated slam poet, author of two books of poetry and an award winning poetry album recipient. Kwyn has been recognized by CBS as a “history-maker” for her social justice work and organizing. She intends to help students, community and others to ignite a brighter world. To learn more about Kwyn and her work, visit her website at Kwynelizabeth.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.