Kenyona "Sunny" Matthews
B.A., triple major — Political Science, Philosophy and African American Studies, 2004
University of Akron School of Law
Akron, Ohio
This woman lights up a room, even in Akron, Ohio, in the dead of winter. Her nickname is Sunny, and one glance at her smile explains why. The best part of her amazing presence is this — you sense immediately that she is a powerful force for good. Powerful.
She wasn’t always this way. Sunny says: “My momma says she sent her shy, sweet girl to Guilford College and never saw her again. She’s right about that. Guilford turned me into a strong, verbal and outgoing woman … and it didn’t take long, either.”
She was unusually shy and quiet as a child. Bookish to the extreme, she had read all of the books and most of the encyclopedias at her local library branch by the time she was 17.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, even when I was in high school,” she says. “But I could not — could NOT — speak up in my high school classes. Impossible. Too shy.”
What changed her at Guilford College? “The classes! Right away I knew it was a different world. I love my high school, don’t get me wrong. But the classes at Guilford College? They were interesting, they were alive.”
Community service played an important role: “The classes at Guilford focused on the same issues that our community service work dealt with, so of course the classes were more interesting. Students even carried on the discussions after class, talking about things that matter.”
Her world at Guilford College altered her dream; now she craves litigation: “I thought if I ever did become a lawyer, I’d be sitting in an office doing corporate law work, quietly. But now I know I can talk. I can deliberate. I look forward to working with — and holding my own in front of — juries.”
She undoubtedly will do just that, and successfully. Sunny Matthews is not an ordinary mortal. Consider her typical schedule while at Guilford College: She would normally be at work at Hardee’s at 4:30. That’s 4:30 a.m., where she’d prepare biscuits and other food until 10:30 a.m. You’d find her in class from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and she’d then do community service work from 2:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Sometimes she’d be working at a club function during that time.
Where would she go at 6 p.m.? Back to work for another shift at Hardee’s, where she’d work until 10 p.m. (and almost every weekend, as well). Time for bed? Hardly. She’d study at the campus library from 10:30 p.m. until 1 a.m., when she’d nap until time to get up for the next day’s biscuits.
“I’ll admit I was busy at Guilford,” she says, “but most of the students there are more active than average — in the community and in the classroom. I just never thought I’d be like that.”
Working with prison populations, with the homeless, with immigrants from Southeast Asia, Sunny provided valuable service to the community. But, she insists, she gained as much as she gave. “I had a Bonner scholarship that specified that I work 140 hours per semester in community service. I did more than that [in fact, she worked more volunteer hours than any other Bonner scholar in the entire nation], and I’ll you why — I learned from the experiences. Tell the truth, it was fun.”
She bubbles. Here are some Guilford College facts that bubble out with Sunny enthusiasm:
“Guilford College gave me so many firsts — my first plane ride [on a trip to a conference in San Francisco], my first time to NYC, my first time out of the country [to a community service conference in Nicaragua], my first time to Cleveland [where she won a national award].”
“My classmates and friends from Guilford College now have careers, not just jobs. Or they’re in graduate school.”
“In law school you can’t simply choose answers from a multiple-choice list, and Guilford College was perfect in preparing me for that. In the Guilford classes, the professors don’t say to choose the right answer; they say tell me what you know! So when I got here [in Akron], I was not intimidated at all.”
“Quakers? I had never even heard of them before I got to Guilford College. Now I am so grateful that I was able to take on some of the values that Guilford is founded on — respect for everyone is a powerful principle that has helped me work with all kinds of people. Integrity, respect, tolerance — those are values that will guide me always.”
“The people at Guilford College find your potential, and then they nurture you. They, meaning everyone there — the professors, the staff. I remember one time in really bad weather, some cafeteria staff members brought in and cooked their own food for the students. The place is incredible.”
“Guilford College gives you every opportunity to do everything you ever wanted to do. You have to do the work, but the college will give you all the tools you need to do and to become whatever you want.”
This inspiring young woman went to Guilford College bright but painfully shy. Four years later, her graduating class elected her to be its Commencement speaker, and now she has a full ride to Akron Law School, with all tuition and fees covered by an Akron Board of Trustees Scholarship.
She’s happy: “Guilford College gave me the wings to fly. At Guilford College I found my voice, my intellect, my passion and my skills. I guarantee this: If you attend Guilford College, you will become a better person.”