Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

For Kiara Berry ’18, making a difference in the classroom for her students wasn’t enough. As a first-grade teacher who is very passionate about social-emotional learning, she urged her students to show love and kindness not only to others but also themselves. That mission to learn, lead and serve with her students eventually inspired her to put pen to paper and write her first book, “Which Cape Will I Wear Today?"

Published in early 2022 and available through major retailers like Amazon, the goal of the book is to provide children with a roadmap for positive self-talk. Berry donated copies to schools in the Dayton and Cincinnati area so as many children as possible can be uplifted by it. The book is the highlight of Berry’s career so far.

Berry hopes that others will learn from her journey as an author to write their own book someday. She is a teacher in the Hamilton school district and remains connected to the friends she made at the University of Dayton through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

“I already felt like I was a part of the community but becoming a member of AKA just made me feel that much more connected,” said Berry. “It also helped me make a lot of connections with other students who have the same goals and values as me.”