Dads… Grads… Why Not Be Both?
BY KRISTINA ROSEN
Byron Mitchell is a recent University of Kentucky graduate, management guru, licensed realtor, Lexington transplant, and father of four—in no particular order, but he adds, “Being a father is definitely the most rewarding title I’ve ever held.”
Mitchell graduated from the University of Kentucky this past May, 15 years after he first arrived in Lexington.
He began college in 2006 and departed in 2010, he explains, “With just a semester remaining, I was offered a job as an assistant to a technology VP. That role would grow to a management position within six months. I learned quickly that leadership and problem solving were my passions.”
Mitchell graduated with a degree in Community and Leadership Development (CLD), a program in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
“He clearly understands the value of bringing diverse perspectives together and helping teams find common goals and objectives,” says Daniel Kahl, PH.D, Associate Professor in the CLD department. “This is an aspect of leadership that will serve him in all of his work and professional endeavors.”
Mitchell’s premier role as a father shaped his decision to return to UK, he says, “because of the example I wanted to set for my kids and a promise I made to my mother. I wanted to finish what I started in 2006.”
As for the message he hopes his kids take from his journey, he says, “We are only limited by our imaginations.” He continues, “Dream big, don’t create excuses for yourself, because you are more than capable of anything your mind is bold enough to imagine. I desperately need them to know that this is a fact of life in this modern age.”
“Hamburg has truly transformed over the last decade. It has become its own ecosystem. Great schools, great homes and great community resources. Hamburg reflects Lexington.”—Byron Mitchell
Born in Louisiana and raised in Texas, Mitchell found a home in Kentucky in 2006. He says, “Lexington raised me. My family was an 18-hour drive from Lexington, so I had to adapt quickly. The people were kind, the weather was perfect, and the land was gorgeous.”
Mitchell met his wife, Erin D. Mitchell, who also has ties to UK as a kinesiology grad and former UK track and field hurdler. He is determined that “Lexington just might be my forever home.”
As a licensed realtor in Lexington, Mitchell finds Hamburg to be a great area to live and raise a family. “Hamburg has truly transformed over the last decade. It has become its own ecosystem. Great schools, great homes and great community resources. Hamburg reflects Lexington.”
He continues, “As Lexington becomes more modern, and more vibrant, Hamburg continues to reflect that maturation. Families, retirees and young professionals can get a bigger city feel, in a small, safe and quickly advancing community.”
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This article also appears on page 11 of the June 2021 print edition of Hamburg Journal.
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