Through the special Darlington Connects blog series, we are proud to showcase the stories, connections, and lasting impact of a community that continues to embody Darlington’s mission and values long after graduation. Today, we hear from Kendall Keeling ('24), a student at the University of Alabama and staff member in Georgia's 14th Congressional District.
Kendall Keeling ('24) enrolled at Darlington in the fifth grade as a day student from Fort Payne, Ala., and remembers the year clearly because it was an election year.
“[I was] so interested in the election,” she said. “I remember being on the fifth grade Skidaway Island trip and asking Mrs. Jones the next morning who the president was.”
That interest in politics would stay with her all the way through Darlington and help pave her path today.
Kendall comes from a strong legacy family. After her mother, Jaime, married her father, Barry Hurley (’83, LD ’20), Kendall toured his alma mater, Darlington, and fell in love upon discovering the Golf Academy. Her three older sisters, Allie (Hurley) Piedmonte (’13), Katie (Hurley) Lugo (’15), and Grace (Hurley) Smith (’18), all graduated from Darlington as well, and her younger sister, Kaitlyn, is a current sophomore.
Kendall played in the Golf Academy through the middle grades, when COVID-19 began, and continued playing on her own time after that. She was also a cheerleader and member of the Young Republicans and Advancement Ambassadors. She said she had the best team-building experience with her cheer coaches, Melissa Smyly and Payton (Payne) Guest (’10, LD ’25). Other notable teachers she mentioned include Bebe Cline, her first teacher; Jennifer Luitweiler, her adviser; and longtime art teacher Kathy O’Mara, who she had all four years of high school.
After Darlington, Kendall attended the University of Alabama but very quickly transitioned from on campus to online. “I spent fall semester on campus and rushed and liked it a lot, but I felt like I was stuck and needed more,” she said.
With her family’s encouragement, she applied to be an intern for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, her home district. “God opened that door,” said Kendall, who has been walking through it ever since.
She completed her Washington, D.C., internship with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green while also working on her business degree from Alabama full time online. Now, she’s a staffer for the 14th District and waiting to see what’s next.
“My favorite part is not just being able to communicate with constituents, but being able to help those back home,” said Kendall.
She credits Darlington for providing her with the skills, both personally and professionally, to effectively communicate with others as well as great study habits, adding that she felt very prepared for life in Washington, D.C. “It was so diverse [in D.C.] and Darlington prepared me for that,” she said. “We went to school with so many people from different places.”
So far, Kendall said her greatest accomplishment has been participating in the highly competitive White House Internship Program. “God led me through another door and I was in the perfect place at the perfect time,” she said. While the internship was interrupted by a government shutdown, she values the time she spent working with administration staff, describing them all as “incredible and hard working.”
Kendall accomplished all this while also finishing finals that semester, but the biggest challenge she has faced so far came much earlier in her life. Her father died of a heart attack when she was young and her mom was diagnosed with cancer her senior year at Darlington. Kendall credits her faith and Darlington’s motto for helping to get her through.
“I would tell my younger self to trust in the Lord and let Him lead you,” she said. “Hearing Darlington’s motto every day made it such a part of my life. You want to act with integrity and serve with respect because there is so much hate in the world. And treat others as you would want to be treated.”
For now, Kendall is finishing her degree online. “I hope to work in real estate investment and development before joining my mom’s real estate development company,” she said. “I am so thankful for the experience and opportunity provided to me by Darlington.”
To connect with Kendall and other alumni, join Darlington Connects on LinkedIn today!
