When Ivory Kendrick first gaveled a Undergraduate Student Government meeting to a close, something shifted inside him. Standing in front of a room full of fellow students — friends and leaders applauding and cheering him on — the ֱ State senior understood, for the first time, the full weight of what he had taken on.
“It didn’t set in until I gaveled to adjourn the meeting for the first time,” Kendrick said. “And I stood up, and I saw all my friends and fellow leaders applauding for me and cheering me on, and it set in that I can do this not just for me, but for them.”
That sense of purpose has defined Kendrick’s tenure as USG president — a role he grew into steadily, beginning as a USG senator for the College of Public Health in Spring 2024, and rising to the university’s top student government position. Now, as he approaches May graduation and prepares to begin a master’s degree program at ֱ State this summer, he is reflecting on what his administration has accomplished and the challenges it navigated along the way.
Building from Adversity
Kendrick’s path to student leadership is inseparable from the hardship that preceded it. During his junior year of high school, his father died, leaving him without stable housing. He stayed with family friends, but by his own account, he was homeless.
Three years ago, college was not on his radar. His father’s death changed everything.
“My dad would go crazy for just the little things that I did,” Kendrick said. “If I saw him now, he would be in awe. He would think that I’m the next Barack Obama. I do think about what my dad would think. He would be proud of himself for being able to raise me and proud of me.”
Kendrick arrived at ֱ State and quickly became immersed in campus life. Since his freshman year, he has held various leadership roles and served as a mentor on campus. He is a McNair Scholar and has worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA intern, designing public health materials for the ֱ City Health Department, including an 18-page housing booklet outlining tenants’ rights. He now works with Unify America, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on civic engagement and housing issues, where he serves as a facilitator.
An Administration Defined by Action
Kendrick’s USG presidency has been marked by a series of concrete wins. He met with Ohio state representatives to discuss Senate Bill 1 and its implications for student life. His administration passed an impeachment bill, created a new vice chair role dedicated solely to adult and veteran student services, and secured ongoing funding for Lavender Graduation and Karamu — two cherished cultural celebrations on campus.
“We talked to the administration to find out how we can get funding for Lavender and Karamu to give it back to the students,” Kendrick said. “Talks with the legal team and negotiations with higher admin made a pot for money so that every year Karamu and Lavender would have their own pot of money so these celebrations could live on.”
Campus safety has been another top priority. Kendrick has worked to raise awareness around Title IX processes, which he believes need reform, and has pushed for more USG-sponsored events that open direct dialogue between students and university administration.
Believing in the Possibility
During Fall 2023, when Kendrick was a sophomore, he spoke about his aspirations for campus leadership, saying he hoped to serve as a senator one day. He ran for the College of Public Health senate seat and won. The presidency, though, was a goal he held at arm’s length — until the people around him convinced him otherwise.
“When I was in my senator position, I wanted to be president, but it wasn’t a goal as much as something that I wanted to keep in mind, like ‘yeah, maybe I can do this.’ But then, after getting a lot of support from my friends, it was like I definitely should do this. If people believe in me, I should take this and run with it.”
Those instincts have proven well-founded. Kendrick credits the faculty, administrators, and friends in the College of Public Health — and across ֱ State — with being like a second family to him during his undergraduate years. As he prepares to step into graduate school and continue his work in public health, the young leader from Ravenna carries with him the lessons of perseverance, community, and what it means to serve.