This post was written by Ayanna Roberts, B.A. '24, M.A. in Integrated Design student.
From the beginning, Kennedi Amaker moved with certainty about her future, never questioning what came next, only how she would get there.
“Literally, from Day 1, I was like, ‘I’m going to go to law school. I’m going to be a merger and acquisitions lawyer. I know what I want to do,’” said Kennedi, now an M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management student, recalling a different stage of her life.
After graduating high school, Kennedi began actively pursuing her initial dream. She started at Howard Community College, where she obtained her associate degree in social sciences. Then she transferred to Penn State University, completing a bachelor’s degree in pre-law and a double minor in sociology and corporate communications.
Next for Kennedi was an acceptance into Villanova University for a legal studies. The achievement initially seemed like another step toward her goals, but it became a turning point.
She didn’t qualify for the scholarships and grants that she needed to attend, so she moved home and considered other options. The University of Baltimore was a familiar name, so she decided to apply.
Kennedi chose UBalt’s Negotiations and Conflict Management program—embarking on a new journey for a future she hadn’t imagined but now wanted.
“It was more of a situation where UBalt chose me. They saw something that others were not seeing or didn’t value,” she said.
What followed was an academic experience that pushed her into deeper levels of research, perspective and self-discovery.
Through her work in negotiation and conflict analysis, Kennedi began engaging with research in a way she hadn’t experienced before, working closely with faculty mentors and exploring perspectives that challenged how she understood the world. That growth eventually led to a major opportunity: an invitation to co-sponsor research with one of her professors.
“UBalt is the first space I’ve been in where I don’t feel like I’m constantly trying to prove I belong. I was so used to universities looking at what you could do for them and what accolades you could bring,” Kennedi said.
That sense of belonging became a defining part of her experience, reshaping how she viewed both her education and her future. Her growth at UBalt extended beyond the classroom.
Kennedi is a graduate assistant in UBalt’s Office of Student Support and the president of the Negotiation and Conflict Management student organization. She also co-chairs the graduate assistant committee, serves as treasurer for Global Affairs and Human Security student group, and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society.
While she continues to grow in her current roles, Kennedi is already looking ahead to what comes next. For her, that future now feels more open and flexible than ever before.
Kennedi’s piece of advice to those rewriting their future: “Give yourself the space to explore but remain true to you.”