Jercura's Story: A Dedicated Big

​      The Lion's Pride mission is simple: to empower youth leaders to guide incoming high school freshmen to reach their fullest potential. Yet it would not be achievable without the contribution and dedication of Lion's Pride "Bigs" like Jercura Kindred. 
​      Jercura has been inspired by the mission throughout her time as a “Big” and views her role as a mentor as having had a positive impact on her own life aspirations. She describes being a Lion’s Pride Big as "one of my proudest achievements. Pride has not only allowed me to connect with younger students, but has also enhanced me as an individual and the way I look at people and the relationships I have with them."
        What drew Jercura to Lion’s Pride? Initially, Jercura viewed Pride as a resume builder for college. It ended up being much more and "something that I genuinely love and decided to carry on doing my senior year." She's even reached out to her friends and fellow students, encouraging them to become involved with Pride. Why? Because of the people. Jercura's favorite part about being a Big has been the connections she's made. 

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 Pride has pushed me to do things that I may not have had the courage to do on my own

   "The relationships I have built and lessons that I have learned have been my favorite part,” said Jercura. “It's one thing to go to school with people, but it's another thing to engage with... your peers in an open setting that allows you to work on yourself and to sit back and reflect with others on things you might not have had the opportunity to express."
        At the same time, through her relationships with her Littles, Pride has encouraged Jercura to grow as a student and a person. "Pride has pushed me to do things that I may not have had the courage to do on my own and has opened my eyes to new experiences that I never thought I'd want to engage in.
        What's in Jercura's future, beyond Pride? Jercura is certain she will use what she's learned as a Big throughout the rest of her academic career. "There are many things that I strive to implement ... but the main lesson is to be self-aware and to not worry about things outside of my locus of control. Everything that is meant to happen, will happen, and as long as I am being my authentic self, everything will be okay.” 
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