Kim Sykes

Position(s):

House Mom

Kim first realized that she was a child of the world when she moved to The Gambia in West Africa to live and go to school when she was 11 years old. Kim experienced first hand what it was like to live in a small impoverished country with the constant struggle to be heard by the global community. During her time in Africa Kim learned to speak the local language, Wollof, and even to converse in French (a skill she wished she still maintained!). Kim was often at the US Embassy and was able to see how the decisions of so few affected the lives of so many. It was at the ripe old age of 12, after her first year in The Gambia, that she formed her core beliefs. She knew then, as she does now, that while right was always right and fair was always fair-what was right and what was fair- are the real questions of life. One thing she found out for sure was that peace was conditional. Peace had to be sought, earned and maintained.

 

After a coup attempt Kim returned to the USA. Of her travels in Africa Kim recalls well that she cried when she arrived thinking she would never be accepted and she cried when she had to leave as she had made, in The Gambia, a home. Since her time in The Gambia Kim has lived in or visited England, France, Mexico, Aruba, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Canada, and 10 states within the USA. Everywhere she has gone she has found a 'home'. It is with that strong sense of community that she donates her time to serve as the house Mom to all the GTL's who attend the summit. She will probably be the first person to greet the teens, the last one to hug them on their departure and will definitely be their biggest fan thereafter. Kim has been a Project Manager at Maritz, LLC since 2002. Before Maritz she worked for 5 years at American Express and prior to that AT&T. She found her way into the Three Dot Dash family through her good friend (and summit producer) Christine Creter and she has been thanking Chris for that ever since.