Georgia Southern graduate ready to lead dual-language learners 

May 23, 2025

Kyndal Harp has been running to her school desk every day since the first day of kindergarten. But it wasn’t because she was late, nor was she trying to beat the bell; she just couldn’t wait to start learning. 

That same enthusiasm was with her as she crossed the graduation stage during Georgia Southern University’s Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony to accept her Master of Arts in Teaching for Elementary Education. 

“I’ve always been excited to go to school!” she laughed. “And I feel like it was because I was obsessed with learning as much as I possibly could.”  

She credits this to growing up in Macon, Georgia.

“Macon isn’t a small town, but the lack of diversity made it feel small to me,” she explained. “My mother was a writer, so my childhood was always fueled by an exploration of stories in books, or plays, or another form of storytelling.” 

The worlds she read about looked quite different from the streets that stretched far beyond the Bibb County lines. So for her, there was no question that she would leave her hometown when it came to college. That’s what brought her to Georgia Southern. 

“My undergraduate degree was in interdisciplinary studies,” she said. “My emphasis was three years of computer science. But in my last year, my concentration was in international studies. The long-term goal was to work in a tech company overseas.” 

But the career landscape was rocky when she graduated in 2020, so she had to adjust her plans.  

“I chose to work for a few years,” said Harp. “I thought I was going to law school. I was a paralegal for a while. I thought I wanted to pursue this and that. But the more I got into those fields, I realized that they weren’t going to get me where I wanted to be in my career.”

It was the solitude of the pandemic that delivered her epiphany. 

“I figured out that I wanted to be closer to people, and law wasn’t as close as I wanted it to be,” she said. “It was then that I realized I really do have a passion for celebrating other cultures and making people feel like they belong.”

She returned to Georgia Southern, diving back into classes with the same enthusiasm she had as an elementary school student. That timeless excitement for learning is what led her to pursue a master’s in teaching in elementary education.

“I thought about teaching middle school, or even high school, just because with the older, upper grades, you can focus on something,” she explained. “But honestly, the younger kids have more fun. And I like having a good time. I’ve really gotten to enjoy seeing their curiosity and their wonder when they learn new things. Younger kids can do so much more than I think we give them credit for. So it felt like a nice mix. “

Harp’s degree journey also brought her love of international studies back to the forefront of her mind, directing her attention to educating bilingual students. 

“I realized I could highlight students of different cultures,” she explained. “Help them understand what a gift they have, and live among people just like them and people different from them. I make sure my students have what they need to be the type of adults that I want to see in the future.” 

Harp was placed at a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) school in DeKalb County, where she worked with another teacher, instructing children in both Spanish and English. 

“My students ask amazing questions,” she said, smiling. “They ask questions that adults would ask. It’s a really fun experience to see my students engage in conversation about the things that affect different cultures than their own and place value on this language and the people who speak it. Kids are amazing, and it’s so exciting to think about the potential that all of them have.” 

And she’s thrilled to keep answering those questions, moving forward as a second grade teacher in a DLI program teaching English and social studies. 

“I’m excited to be giving my students what they need for the next phase of life,” she said. “I want them to walk away knowing they aren’t defined by their limitations or their mistakes and shortfalls.”