Kenya Crawford, 2015 graduate of HDFS, receives 2025 Alumni Achievement Award

Kenya Crawford, a 2015 graduate of human development and family studies, is the recipient of a 2025 Penn State Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award.

Crawford is the CEO and founder of Cultivating Healers, an award-winning licensed psychotherapist, and racial equity consultant. Through their company, which earned certification as a Minority Business Enterprise in 2024, they have trained more than 2,000 therapists globally in building anti-racist, sustainable and inclusive practices.

“It is an incredible honor to receive this award,” Crawford said. “When I was a student, I remember meeting alumni who came back to share their brilliance and expertise, hoping that one day I could do the same. While I am deeply grateful to receive this recognition for my work in mental health, racial equity and entrepreneurship, I am most proud to give back to Penn State. Penn State poured into me in ways that I will forever be grateful for, so this award is a reminder that with dedicated care, support and belief, the possibilities are endless.”

Crawford said their time at Penn State as a student in human development and family studies taught them to center service, mentorship and innovation — traits that they rely on now as a therapist and entrepreneur.

“What I loved most about Penn State was that whenever there was a gap in services, the University supported me in closing that gap,” Crawford said. “During my junior year, I became the very first resident assistant of Ally House, a special living option for LGBTQ students. Now, as the CEO of Cultivating Healers and as a therapist, my work centers on closing the gaps in education, mentorship and support for therapists of color and LGBTQ therapists.”

Crawford has earned numerous recognitions, including “Mental Health Advocate of Tomorrow,” and their work has been featured in prominent publications, including Huffington Post, Essence and Popsugar. They conduct entrepreneurship workshops during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC and previously served on the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Board.

The Alumni Achievement Award is one of the Alumni Association’s most prestigious honors. It recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments. Recipients are nominated by an academic college or campus and invited by the University President to return to Penn State to share their expertise with students and the University community. They demonstrate to students that Penn State alumni can succeed in exceptional fashion at an early age.

Crawford and seven other Alumni Achievement Award recipients were honored at an awards ceremony on March 28. View their award acceptance speech on YouTube.

Originally published in April 2025.