Scholar of the Month: Kolby Brown

In her nomination letter, Tamara Heft describes Kolby Brown as a standout senior at Christiansburg High School.  “Kolby Brown may be one of the most impressive all-around, dedicated, driven, determined and kind” student to grace the halls of his high school in Montgomery County. Kolby earned one of Virginia’s most prestigious awards and scholarships this year, the Harry F. Byrd Leadership Award and Scholarship, which is awarded to only a handful of the Commonwealth’s finest young men and women each year.  “This achievement in and of itself exemplifies just how deserving Kolby is of this recognition (Colors VA Scholar of the Month),” Heft included in the nomination.  Kolby’s leadership and involvement coupled with his desire to create a better community for others make him more of a standout among his student body at CHS and in his community. 

 “I really go by the motto if you ‘see a need, fill a need,’ ” shares Kolby.  “There’s always something to be done and always someone who needs help.”  Kolby volunteers and facilitates several projects every year to help those who otherwise would go without some of the bare essentials.  “He started a toy drive for Christmas for disadvantaged young people and rallied his school mates around to help to collect those items,” his mother, Kimberly Smith recalls.  “He also helped to facilitate a campus wide /school wide clean-up day where the students gave back to the school by trying to make improvements,” she adds.

 “That’s just how I go about finding projects and really working with students and my fellow peers.  It gives me satisfaction to know that I’m doing good and being productive,” says Kolby. 

Kolby does not mind rolling up his sleeves and leading for a good cause.  As the senior class president, vice president of Black Student Awareness and a member of his school’s student advocacy group, ‘Our Team for a Better Tomorrow,’ he also has rallied around social justice matters to bring about community change.  “I think the student voice here in Montgomery County Public Schools is undervalued,” says Kolby. “We don’t really hear about the impact that student voices really have, but over the past summer, I was able to organize a protest following the murder of George Floyd centered around the maltreatment of our Black student population at Montgomery County Public Schools.  After seeing what came out of that with students in the county, I realized that our voices can created change.

  “And we really have just been advocating for our fellow student that ‘hey, your voice matters, so put your input in.’ It’s great because our county has added student voice to the table.  Students are now part of every Montgomery County Public School sub-committee like discipline, curriculum, family and student engagement. And after seeing all of that, I really am about student voice, student activism and making sure that students know that what they say matters as well,” Kolby adds.  

Kolby’s passion for life and social justice at Christiansburg High School and in his community is only the beginning of what he hopes to accomplish.  He already has his college path paved with many aspirations for the future to make even bigger world changes.  Kolby will head to Howard University in D.C. this fall to major in political science. “I chose Howard because I know I wanted to go to an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges/University).  And Howard is as good as it gets. I’ll be in Washington, D.C. where I’ll be able to really experience different cultures and a wide variety of people and lots of diversity.  That’s why I chose Howard,” he says.  “I’ve known that I really wanted to work with people for the longest time and help people who need it most. I really always have been interested in politics.  I haven’t really favored politicians, but I feel there’s a need to help people.  There is always room to help people and I believe political science is the best major to help me focus on that,” he adds.  

While Kolby has not settled just yet on a collegiate career path that might include becoming a lawyer, he has not ruled out that profession.  He also feels he would serve the public and people well as an educator, helping to set a solid foundation for students in any classroom.  “There’s a whole host of changes I’d like to see, but it really starts with making sure no student is left behind and to meet students where they’re at,” Kolby so passionately articulates.  “Some students are further ahead than others, but that doesn’t make the ones who are straggling behind any worse or any better – or that they should be any less of a priority for teachers and schools.  It’s really about making sure students are heard and that they are accompanied through the journey through their education.  I want to make sure every student feels productive in their school,” Kolby says.   

Kolby’s mother, Kimberly Smith says, “I am truly excited. I feel it’s truly a reflection of all the hard work that he’s done.  Kolby puts a lot of work into his schooling and extracurricular activities.  He has done this since he started school.  Kolby has always been a pretty determined, pretty focused young man, but to see all of it recognized by others, I think means a lot to him, as well as, to myself.” And Kolby does all of this while maintaining a Grade Point Average of 3.99 with a rigorous and challenging academic schedule.  Kolby is enrolled in honors level, Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement classes while participating in and leading other activities at Christiansburg High School and in his community. Kolby also previously attended the Southwest VA Governor’s School for STEM, where he also was enrolled in college level courses. 

“Kolby’s peers recognize his natural leadership capabilities. As a freshman he was nominated by his teammates to CHS’s varsity tennis team to lead as team captain. His natural athletic and musical abilities, including recognition at the county and state level through his involvement with CHS’s choral program, make him an incredibly well-rounded individual,” Heft stated in the nomination letter.   

Kolby lives by the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated, and I think the baseline for that is reacting to people in the way you want people to react to you. It’s good to be proactive,” he says.  And that positive, proactive, helpful and kind attitude has certainly paid off big for Kolby Brown.  Congratulations Kolby, you are the Colors VA Scholar of the Month.