Commencement 2025: Medgar Evers College valedictorian overcomes the odds to rise to the top of the class
By David Gil De Rubio | dgilderubio@mec.cuny.edu
As the 2025 Medgar Evers College Valedictorian, Kereen Britton-Alexander represents the fight, determination and resiliency that’s come to define the school’s students, past and present.
A native of Jamaica, Kereen came to the United States in her mid-20s, first landing work at a local shoe store. It was here, as an undocumented immigrant, that her supervisor informed the mother-of-two that she needed to go to college if she wanted to be successful.
Given the fact that her native high school diploma was deemed an insufficient document, Kereen earned her G.E.D., subsequently registering at Medgar Evers College in 2013. Strained finances and a need to feed her children meant the fledgling freshman dropped out having to “…decide between feeding my kids or paying bills.”
Kereen didn’t let her dream die, returning to Medgar Evers College in Fall 2022. Unsure and a little scared at resuming this journey, the now-mom-of-three was reassured by Professor Sandra Huntley, who saw the terrified look on the returning student’s face and told her that everything was going to be okay.
It was this kind of support, emotional and otherwise, that not only gave Kereen the confidence to succeed, but thrive. Even as she struggled financially, it was staff members like Dr. Waleek Boone who provided a lifeline out of food insecurity that allowed Kereen to graduate as the 2025 Valedictorian with a 3.8 GPA.
The oldest of three, Kereen’s inspiration comes from her mother, Jennifer Barnes, an activity director at a senior living facility, who instilled the values of honesty, integrity, virtue, thriftiness and putting God first into all of her children. Add work ethic to Kereen’s rock-solid principles, as she works seven days a week, five as a college assistant in the Office of Student Success and Enrollment Management, and then managing a UPS store on the weekend.
Despite being the mother of an 18-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter (Kereen’s 22-year-old daughter is active military and ready to make her mom a grandmother), the 2025 valedictorian is active in campus life. In addition to being an active supporter of the CHAMPSS program who is at all of the organization’s events, Kereen is a member of NABA (National Association of Black Accountants) and NSLS (National Society of Leadership and Success). And if she’s gardening or reading, you can find Kereen walking loops around nearby Prospect Park.
Having gone from being undocumented and homeless to achieving citizenship and heading into a bright future, Kereen plans to open UPS stores in the United States and her homeland. The plan is to help her fellow Jamaicans in shipping goods back home to friends and family. For this, Kereen points to her experience at Medgar Evers College, a place that was a second home where the future grandparent felt like she was being “…cradled in my mother’s bosom.”