Three children immediately ran up to Micahaia Reynolds ’27 during one of her first experiences with Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS).  

“I want you to be my tutor,” they told her.  

For Reynolds, a psychology major from Detroit, the moment felt like coming home. She had connected with Kalamazoo College’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) during her first year on campus as a work-study student. She eventually became a Civic Engagement Scholar with CAPS, a community organization that provides tutoring opportunities for Kalamazoo Public Schools students living at Interfaith Homes.  

“I had never met these children, and they didn’t know who I was,” Reynolds said. “But it made me think, ‘OK, I can do this.’ I’ve been doing it ever since.” 

That commitment to children and community grew this summer through an eight-week Community Building Internship at the Douglass Community Association. There, Reynolds helped launch Crowned with Confidence, an initiative developed by Executive Director Stacey Ledbetter, built around a fully functioning beauty salon inside the community center. The program combines free hairstyling services for girls with literacy-based activities.  

“She wanted to encourage young ladies in the community to feel confident in themselves by providing free hairstyling services,” Reynolds said of Ledbetter. “In exchange, they would participate in a literacy-based activity with conversations about subjects like math and science and lessons in responsibility.”  

The CCE develops Community Building Internships with its community partners exclusively for K students. These immersive, paid roles support students while also contributing to the work of local organizations. At Douglass, Reynolds worked with children ages 5 to 14.

In addition to providing styling support, she helped collect data through surveys conducted before and after the program. 

The surveys measured possible connections among the participants’ feelings about their appearance, their self-confidence and their motivation to attend school.  

“I think seeing the befores and afters, it really was appropriately named Crowned with Confidence,” Reynolds said. “We weren’t just looking into beautification. We were collecting data to track changes over time.”  

The internship felt like a natural extension of Reynolds’ work with CAPS because many of the children she met through Douglass came from the same neighborhood. It also aligned with what she describes as her personal mission: glorifying God through her work, particularly by supporting children experiencing difficult home situations.  

During the internship, Reynolds also learned about the humility, sacrifice and day-to-day challenges involved in nonprofit work.  

“So many nonprofits are functioning on the bare minimum, and they’re constantly asking for more funding,” she said.  

Yet Reynolds saw how leadership could shape the experience of working in a resource-strapped organization. Ledbetter held staff meetings twice a week and regularly sought feedback. Reynolds said those practices helped the organization feel like a family. 

One story from Reynolds’ summer captured the deeper purpose she saw in the community association’s work. A staff member known as Mr. Tony began hosting weekly community breakfasts years ago after children came to the center and said they were hungry. For Reynolds, his response reflected the same sense of care and dignity at the heart of Crowned with Confidence.  

“You don’t just matter enough for us to help keep you alive,” she said. “You matter enough for us to add value to your life, to remind you that you are important, that you are human with dignity and that you deserve respect.”  

The internship also helped Reynolds clarify her path forward. Although she had once envisioned a broader career in nonprofit work, her summer at Douglass pointed her toward working with people on a more individualized level. She is applying to graduate programs in counseling with the goal of working with families affected by mental health challenges.  

Reflecting on her time with the CCE, Reynolds encourages other students to get involved.  

“It provides an opportunity for us to learn what we’re committed to, learn what’s worth sacrificing for, and learn more about not just who we are, but what we’re called to do,” she said. “And at the very least, if you’re feeling homesick, go there. They not only have good snacks, but they also have amazing opportunities for people to feel less alone.” 

Q-and-A with
Stacey Ledbetter 

Question: At what point did you decide that Micahaia would be a good fit for the Douglass Community Association and Crowned with Confidence? 

Answer: I knew from the beginning that Micahaia should be our intern. Shout out to [Center for Civic Engagement Executive Director] Sashae [Mitchell] for having quality relationships with both students and community partners, because she sensed in advance that this connection would be perfect, and she was right. In addition, in our first conversation, along with a great initial vibe and impressions, Micahaia and I discovered that we attended the same high school in Detroit: Cass Tech! 

Q: What were Micahaia’s strongest qualities when she worked with you and the kids? 

A: Micahaia is dependable, astute, passionate about her faith and serving the community, loved our specific focus with Crowned with Confidence, was patient with the young people we served, and she fit in with our Douglass family like she had been with us for years. We all miss her! She was absolutely successful as an intern, for the aforementioned, and so much more. She also has a great sense of humor! 

Q: If Micahaia were in Kalamazoo another year, would you want her to contribute to Crowned with Confidence again next year? 

A: We would have Micahaia return in a heartbeat, she is going to be successful in whatever path she chooses and she represents K College with excellence!