We were thrilled to welcome motivational speaker Duncan Kirkwood to our campuses yesterday. He is the Director of the Center for Resilience at Villa Maria College, a veteran, and a global resilience advocate. He works to empower young people, parents & communities with a mission of making sure everyone he comes across can become the best version of themselves and live a life with peace, love & joy.
Growing up in a challenging inner-city neighborhood, Duncan had to overcome wave after wave of setbacks to make it to graduation. Yet with each challenge, he learned new lessons that ultimately helped him thrive.
He later spent five years in service with the Alabama Army National Guard as a Master Resilience Trainer tasked with training soldiers to become more mentally tough. Using his resilience training and leadership experiences across the country, he identifies important tools and tactics that students of all ages can use to achieve their full potential. He helps them understand the benefits of getting involved in school and community organizations; the importance of learning from setbacks; how to overcome the fear of failure; the immediate need to discover one’s life purpose; and the importance of taking steps towards one’s dreams.
“It was so amazing to give my last speech of the year today at Randolph Academy on resilience and purpose,” he shared after the event on social media. “The educators (at) this school are so committed to these students, it was truly beautiful to see.”
