About

Welcome!

If you’re interested in the study of social behavior, community behavior, systems thinking, public policy and relationship between all these topics, then you’ve landed in the right place. I’m not an expert but here you will explore these topics and learn with me. I’m your host, Kayla Marshall, and I’ll be writing, speaking, and questioning our society here along with you as we learn the game of life. As a community we seek to understand it so that we can positively influence it: end hunger, reduce poverty, provide equity in opportunity, economic growth, and basic equity in our day to day experiences in life. In my pursuit of becoming a sociologist from an electrical engineer turned systems engineer pursing social studies; here is my journey, my lessons learned, my knowledge gained, and my experiences questioned.

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I’m a black woman, engineer, systems thinker, sister, best friend, and learner. Originally from NC I grew up as 1 of 3 siblings, a daughter to a father who was a mechanical tech at a major manufacturing company, a mother who is a social worker with a focus in social work law, an older sister who perused a biology degree and works in clinical research, and a brother who’s now a father with a degree in engineering as well who uses his gifts in the educational system.

In my early years I was never interested in the social sciences but gravitated to the math and STEM. I graduated with a Electrical Engineering degree from THE North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (the true Aggies) and a job with a defense contractor in Texas. My role there lead me to a Masters degree in Systems Engineering which sparked an interest in systems thinking and I began to research its applicability to other fields ranging from nonprofit business organization and strategic development, to social systems and community organization.

I’m most interested in how social policy defines our social systems, communities, and how that definition affects human choice, trajectory, and overall behavior. As a black woman from a small city turned engineer, the more successful you are the more of a token you’re seen as. I always say every system has errored behavior and my “success” is a result of complex system behavior and what systems thinkers call _______. In my studies I’ll be questioning it’s truth or falseneess with data and research with the goal of learning how we can better create equity through social policies.