Christina Hamner

Christina Hamner will never forget the day she walked into her college advisor’s office feeling nervous. She was concerned about her performance in Introduction to Electrical Engineering, a required course for her degree in product design engineering. Her advisor met her concerns bluntly; maybe she had reached the peak of her electrical engineering mountain, which just happened to be lower than that of other students.

Christina could have walked away feeling discouraged, or she could have accepted someone else lowering their expectations in face of an obstacle. She was determined to persist through the class and follow her ambitions. She met with a different professor, reached out to her friends, and asked her classmates for support. And that support system helped her work through her uncertainty.

One BS in Engineering and MBA in Design Strategy later, Christina spends her days designing ways to make sure KIPP students aren’t alone in their journey to and through college. “The young people we work with today are the creators of a better tomorrow, and the more we can help students see the potential in themselves and understand how resourceful they are, the better.”

Christina spends her time as a Senior Product Manager on the KIPP Through College team in two capacities: product management and design strategy. She facilitates and empowers others to solve problems, and she uses design methods to increase the efficacy of our college support strategies. She knows that education means opportunity, a lesson her mother instilled in her. “My mom knew the value of looking beyond what’s right in front of you, of taking a leap, and taking a risk.” We’re so grateful she’s here supporting more students to do the same.