Kim Berry '16 with her mother, Cheryl Berry.
Confidence. It’s one of the qualities that makes a good leader. And Kimberly Berry has it.
Confidence in expressing her thoughts and in the way she interacts with those around her—which she attributes to the College of Liberal Arts.
“I also think it’s given me the skills that I need—especially going into a career field that’s very competitive—to be confident in who I am and what I can present, even if it’s different from what other people could be presenting,” she said.
Berry ’16 is a Regents’ Scholar from the College of Liberal Arts who is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Performance Studies with a minor in Business Administration.
The Regents’ Scholars Program provides scholarships of up to $5,000 per year to hundreds of first-generation college students at Texas A&M. However, apart from only financial reasons, Berry has benefited from being a Regents’ Scholar through the people she has met and the ability to think critically.
“This scholarship has meant more to me than just funding. It has allowed me to focus on my education and the things that I care about the most without having to worry about paying for college, as well as given me wonderful first time experiences that I won’t soon forget,” she said.
In the fall of her freshman year, the Regents’ Scholars program sent Berry and her peers on a trip to Costa Rica. They traveled to three cities while studying Costa Rican culture. They also painted murals and ran a “Fun Day” for the children in the La Carpio neighborhood in San Jose, Costa Rica, which, at the time, was home to 36,000 Nicaraguan refugees.
Berry’s study abroad experience helped her understand the importance of traveling and broadened her global perspective—cultivating a passion for many more future travels.
A major unit commander in the Corps of Cadets, Berry has also gained confidence during her time as a cadet.
“It has been a challenge, but it has been a life-changing one,” she said. “It has taught me discipline, selfless service and what it means to serve from the heart.”
The Corps of Cadets’ mission is to develop well-educated leaders of character who embody the values of honor, courage, integrity, discipline and selfless service—and Berry definitely fits the bill.
“I had a great home set that built those values into me, but I really believe that Texas A&M and being a part of the Corps of Cadets has really instilled those [values] and made them prominent in my everyday actions,” she said.
As if the Corps of Cadets and Regents’ Scholars program were not enough, Berry has also served on the Liberal Arts Student Council for three years, served as chapter treasurer and president of the national theatre honor society Alpha Psi Omega, and is a member of Aggie Artists, a Christian student organization that fosters creative expression.
Berry said she has been able to take on such a packed schedule thanks to her mother, mentors and faculty, who encouraged her to try new things and stand strong in the face of hardship.
With all of the support and resources Berry has received, it’s easy to see why she is a confident leader, as well as a humble one.
“I’m grateful for the people who believed in a young girl from Houston, Texas, and made my dreams a reality. Thank you.”
By Allen M. Junek '18
This article was originally published by the College of Liberal Arts.
Texas A&M Foundation
The Texas A&M Foundation is a nonprofit organization that solicits and manages investments in academics and leadership programs to enhance Texas A&M’s capability to be among the best universities.
You can support scholarship programs with a gift of an endowment to the Texas A&M Foundation. For additional information about how to support or establish a scholarship, contact Marcy Ullmann ’86 with the Foundation at (800) 392-3310, (979) 845-6383 or mullmann@txamfoundation.com.
