2020 Annual Report

Gadsden State Community College has often been a family affair, and, for many, like the Duren family, it can also be a life changer. 

“I have found my passion,” said Kenni Rae Hunt-Duren. “Sometimes it takes time to find out where your heart is.” 

Kenni Rae and her oldest children, Zachariah, 20, and Judah, 18, are enrolled at Gadsden State. The boys are students in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program while Kenni Rae is working towards her general studies degree. Judah and his twin sister, Halle, also earned their GED through the College’s Adult Education Services. 

“I knew I needed to do something to better myself,” said Judah. “I couldn’t just wait for something to happen. I had to make it happen. I didn’t have a set plan but I knew I needed something to support myself and help my family.” 

It has been a long road to Gadsden State for the Durens. Kenni Rae grew up in a small farming community in Missouri, where she got married after high school and had five children from 2000 to 2009. Zachariah and the twins are joined by Kael, 14, and Pax, 11. In the early days, Kenni Rae homeschooled her children and helped immigrants working as farmhands to learn English as they pursued their American citizenship. 

“Because there are so many agricultural opportunities in Missouri, there was a large Hispanic population,” she said. “I loved working with them so much.” 

That’s when she realized that she enjoyed helping people, and she enjoyed teaching English as a second language. In 2010, they sold their house in Missouri and moved to Mexico to train at the Discipleship Training Center. Four months later, they went to the Dominican Republic to serve the needy and disenfranchised for two months. 

Then, Kenni Rae and her children moved to Minneapolis, where they lived and worked in a community in which they were the minority. 

“We worked in community outreach with marginalized populations,” she said. “I was learning about a life that’s different from what I was used to. 

They worked mainly with homeless youth transitioning to a stable life. They had a food pantry, prayer groups, shelters and support centers. 

“We were a family residing among these services and centers,” she said. “It is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. We were an anchor for a lot of these people.” 

Kenni Rae also did intake evaluations for refugees, mainly women from Somalia and Syria, and she tutored students in math and reading in her children’s inner-city school. 

“There’s a lot of hospitality in offering people the gift of your language; offering people help in general,” she said. “We had a wonderful experience in Minneapolis working with both the privileged and the underprivileged.” 

In 2014, they left the mission field and moved to Nomad’s Land in Attalla, where she homesteaded and hosted travelers and transient people. Nomad’s Land is a 40-acre farm that welcomes travelers from all walks of life. 

“There, we met a lot of people from the transient community; people from different countercultures,” she said. “We met people who ride the rails, seasonal workers, runaways, addicts.” 

Two years later, she moved to a house on Noccalula Mountain and returned to food service, an industry in which she has much experience. 

“I have enjoyed food service, and I have been paid well,” she said. “But, it’s stressful and, for years, it has taken me away from my family in the evenings. It is time to do something that I really want to do.” 

Kenni Rae really wanted to join her boys at Gadsden State. 

“We are setting ourselves up for a vocation,” she said. “I’m recognizing that God has given me a gift. Hospitality is a gift, and I’m transferring it to every area in my life.” 

Judah and Zachariah, both first-generation college students, were the first to enroll at Gadsden State. Judah initially chose HVAC because it’s conveniently located at the Valley Street Campus, just a few short miles from his house. 

“At the time I enrolled, I had no car and no means to get a car,” he said. “The Valley Street Campus not only had the program I was interested in. It also was a place I could easily get to.” 

He will graduate after the 2021 fall semester. He said he is still exploring his options but he is interested in working for a company that services refrigeration equipment at grocery stores and restaurants. 

“After I graduate, I know I can get a job and earn money,” he said. “Then, if I want to return to school, I can.” 

His mother entered Gadsden State in August 2020. She is excited to study English so she can teach her native language to immigrants and refugees. She is also considering providing ESL services overseas. 

“I really love different cultures,” she said. “I love diversity. I appreciate diversity. I respect other people’s cultures. Accepting others is a good way to make people feel at home. We want them to feel a part of our community in a healthy way.” 

So far at Gadsden State she has a 4.0 GPA and has a work-study job in the Teaching and Learning Center. Like her sons, she pays for college with the help of a Pell grant, and she receives services from Student Support Services.

“SSS is amazing,” she said. “It’s truly a lifesaver. Everyone who has access to SSS should definitely take advantage of all it has to offer. Everyone is so helpful.” 

Though Kenni Rae is a successful student, there have been a few bumps in the road. Having to start college online due to the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy for the non-traditional student. 

“I admit I have struggled,” she said. “I admit I have been frustrated at times. There was a lot of presumed knowledge but I didn’t even know the simple questions to ask. I felt bogged down having to navigate online classes. I have burned a lot of energy learning how to learn.” 

Kenni Rae and Judah said Gadsden State instructors have been vital to their success. 

“My English teacher, Patti Wilborn, has been so encouraging,” she said. “I loved her class even though it was online. When I was discouraged, she would move me along. I am not going to quit!” 

Judah, who has a 3.8 GPA, is grateful for Tim Hardy, the HVAC instructor. 

“Mr. Hardy is so generous and flexible,” he said. “He understands that some of us have a job so he works with us in an effort to make sure we succeed. A supportive teacher makes a big difference.”