Kiyana J. Neil
BS marketing and international business ’15
Executive Director, Philadelphia Youth Action Inc. (Philadelphia)
Age 31
My Greatest Accomplishment
Launching my first website as a freelance website designer and marketing consultant. I started freelancing during COVID — when many folks started up side hustles — to make extra money and help people within my church community who needed to market their small businesses. This began the start of my next chapter. Teaching myself web design and freelancing gave me the confidence to leave my seven-year-long marketing career to take on the role of executive director at Youth Action.
How Drexel Helped Me
I’m not a huge fan of this word, but Drexel truly taught me how to multitask. During my time there, I balanced my class load and co-op with multiple jobs, family life and volunteering. No days off felt like my life for those five years, but it taught me resilience. Even on the days when leading a nonprofit as a team of one feels impossible, I know I have what it takes to get us to the next level.
Where I Hope to Be in Five Years
I would love to be an MBA grad, serving as an adjunct professor while still serving in nonprofit leadership. It’s my hope that I’ll be able to expand my knowledge and give back to the next generation of leaders and educators.
How I Pay It Forward
I teach and mentor high school and college students, focusing on helping them develop their own self-confidence. It has taken me 30+ years, and counting, to trust in my skills and abilities. I pay it forward by allowing young Philly kids to see themselves in me and be the support I needed as a young person.