Helping Villa Maria students build the resilience that’s critical to their success.
The Center for Resiliency
All-Inclusive Student Support
Formed in partnership with renowned speaker, author, and trainer Duncan Kirkwood, the Center for Resiliency is another support service for students enrolled at Villa Maria College.
The Center will help students acquire fundamental skills that will help them overcome adversity to graduate from college and enter the workforce as a young professional who is prepared to begin a successful career in their field of choice.
In Class and On Campus
In addition to helping students learn how to move past unexpected setbacks, it will become part of the College’s Core 101 curriculum, which works to transform and empower new students to realize all facets of their potential. Resiliency is now an integral part of student life programming, and Villa students can participate in empowerment sessions hosted by Kirkwood.
Community Benefits
Local high schools and other community organizations are invited to work with us! Villa Maria and Duncan Kirkwood are working together to build a community that can endure any hardship and become better for it. Kirkwood will give his presentations on resiliency to local area high schools and other community organizations.
Meet Duncan Kirkwood
As an inner-city student, Duncan Kirkwood overcame wave after wave of setbacks to make it to graduation. With each challenge, Duncan learned new lessons that ultimately helped him thrive. Outside of Villa Maria, Kirkwood is a diversity, equity, and inclusion trainer and is the founder of Duncan Kirkwood Consulting, LLC. He has spent his professional life working to empower students, educators, organizations, and communities through his presentations. His mission is to ensure everyone has access to the critical tools needed to become the most resilient and best version of themselves. Kirkwood received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Alabama State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arizona and is a master resilience trainer for the Army National Guard.
