Kylie Lyons
What makes Kylie Wildly Capable?
Kylie is nothing short of a force to be reckoned with. She is one of the kindest, dedicated and thoughtful human beings out there. I don’t think Kylie has a mean bone in her body. When faced with adversities, she is a ‘lean-in’ kind of gal, diving deep into anything she commits to. I have seen her battle a number of trials in her life, some all at the same time, while still finding time to care for those in her family, work life and community. VELEECIA HEARNE-MCKEEVER
What makes you feel proud?
I am most proud when I see my sons show empathy and care to others, and when they feel proud of themselves for something they have accomplished. Similarly, I feel proud when I see my students accomplish those feats as well, especially when we have worked together to identify strategies that ultimately lead to their successes or help them cope well with loss or failure, only to get up and try again.
What’s the single biggest problem you’d like to solve in your community?
The youth in our community are in crisis. Although it is a nationwide epidemic, I view the Oklahoma City community as my mission field, and my mission is to continue to work alongside my compassionate, brilliant and empathic colleagues to impact change for the better. We need more resources, more awareness, more dissemination of information, more connection with our legislators, and more boots-on-the-ground professionals who see the challenge we are up against in easing the mental health crisis that is plaguing our students. I will continue to do my part and hope to continue to spread awareness and impact change so that our children can be healthier, more stable and more willing and able to continue fighting the good fight.
What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?
The biggest obstacle in my life has also been the biggest blessing. The road to parenthood was not a simple one. My husband, Eric, and I pursued international adoption, as we knew that our route to parenthood would not follow the traditional path. We chose the Democratic Republic of Congo, and around the time we completed our paperwork and home study and received a photo of our precious son, the DRC placed a moratorium on international adoption. Legally, Joah’s adoption was finalized around the time he was six months old; however, due to the political corruption and civil unrest in the DRC, we were not able to bring him home until 2016, when he was two-and-a-half years old. In the wait for his homecoming, I became pregnant with our son Coen. We received the exit letter we needed to bring Joah home in May 2016, and Coen was born prematurely in July of that same summer. He was small but healthy, but I had a great deal of difficulty overcoming significant preeclampsia and remained hospitalized for a time after his birth. In spite of these challenges, we were able to be home together by the beginning of August. I will never take for granted the path I walked to motherhood, and I see it as the most important work I accomplish.
