A Journey into the heart and mind of Sharon Kilpatrick

As you walk into the joyful, colorful, cluttered room 247, you feel a sense of warmth and comfort. As if you know you are safe and welcomed. That is her priority. Professor Kilpatrick has reached children beyond the textbooks and screens and has touched their hearts by making a forever impact. She is much more than just her label of Professor Kilpatrick. She is intelligent, dedicated, kind and nurturing. Come along onto this journey of learning who she truly is and why students are so blessed to have such an inspiring mentor.

Sharon was raised right here in Miami, Florida, she is a part of a big, fun, and loving family. She was raised religiously and regularly attended church from the early age of 3. One of her biggest role models was the priest of her church, Reverand Ferguson (John Alfonso Ferguson). He taught Sharon what it was to be determined, and why it was so important to be an impactful person towards your community. He had a lot to do with how she carries herself as an adult, she actually ended up working at the high school he founded. She has always been passionate about sewing and fashion. As students can tell from her fun outfits! She was actually a model when she was younger, that is how she now teaches students in the Fashion Club how to walk the catwalk and pose for photo shoots. As an adult, Kilpatrick studied business and worked with kids, which is how she learned how to cater to children’s needs and wants in a learning environment.

There is truly not a single way to getting to know the soul of Sharon Kilpatrick without understanding her mindset. She is an optimist in all situations. She can motivate herself without the need of anyone else, most people on an exhausting day might feel the need to give up, not Kilpatrick. She says, “Sometimes you have to dig deep down inside yourself and remind yourself up your upbringing.” She reflects back on her childhood and times with her role model Rev. Ferguson that had an old saying “To whom much is given much is required” On her roughest days she gets most inspired when she shows up to work and sees the kids. The love, the passion, the way that those eyes look at her with the world. Her motivation is them, their goals of being some day doctors, or lawyers and their drive to make those goals happen. Thats the same drive she had for business and knowing that she can help them and motivate them to get to their dream, to get at that one thing they want so badly is what keeps her going every day.

One of her biggest accomplishments was opening the medical program at John A. Ferguson Senior Highschool. She explained how at first it was extremely hard because it once started off as the smallest program which was not even recognized by the district. Kilpatrick started this program with no prior experience in the medical field, but with her determined and hardworking attitude she got to researching. She quickly was able to become an expert in all things medical. She took that fire she saw in kids and used it as her fire to make this program the best and most useful she could. Thats what she does, she is not the type of person to make you suffer through something boring, she wants kids to learn while having fun. Even though she is a smart and independent lady she relies heavily on her coworkers. They are her second family, her team. She says one person she relies on a lot is Ms. Driscoll. She was a part of the Ferguson family before Sharon and she says that “no matter what program may be opening I rely on her, her support since she has always been the face, I know that if I am making a mistake, she’s bold enough to tell me.” She says all her teachers give her that input that we all need no matter the way they say it, nice or mean Kilpatrick considers and applies it.

When asked what advice she would give to her younger self she says, “Be prepared to have to go against the rain. The hardest part of the journey is having to get started. Once you get started the track it will pick up and it just gets easier the hard part is getting started” She explains how when you are first it is the worst. You have to fight every obstacle. When she is not doing what she is most passionate about, teaching, she spends time with her son, her grandson, she watches her favorite show, sews, bakes all the little things that she likes to do. A way she maintains that healthy work-life balance is staying at school until she finishes everything so when she is home, she is not just Professor Kilpatrick she is just Sharon.

Sharon Kilpatrick can be many different things, a loving family member, a hardworking teacher, an innovator, the fashion club sponsor, the FFEA sponsor but one thing that never changed is her love of having fun. No matter where she is, what she is doing, how she is doing it, her main goal is to get it done right and to have fun doing it. She says she hopes her biggest impact on people is to inspire them and motivate them to be the best version of themselves which is what all students all people who are lucky to have Sharen Kilpatrick in their lives can nod yes and smile because she will always be that rock,the person to rely on when you need that extra push.