Dr. Guillory has really impacted me tremendously. She has really motivated me to work and interact with young kids. She has motivated me to build the same relationship she has with them. She is able to do so many positive things with the kids. Dr. Guillory has really assisted me in working with my mentee JC. She has always been there helping set up times for us to meet and doing what ever she can to help out. She has been a huge help and just an all around fantastic person who is fun and great to be around.

Jerry Hughes—NFL Indianapolis Colts

Dr. Kristen Guillory “wowed” our graduation audience with her energy and excitement!  She had gems of wisdom to pass along to our graduating students and a way of making them feel as if they were going to go out and conquer the world.  You could see that everyone in the auditorium was engaged with her.  There was an excitement in the air from the “rap-style Pomp and Circumstance” to the closing words.

Tracy L. Smith-ITT Tech- Houston West Campus

Dr. Guillory is a powerful speaker and mover of people.  She inspires intergenerational audiences and empowers them to be purpose driven.  She has wisdom well beyond her years and she is positioning herself to be at the forefront of leadership for today’s society. 

Aubrey C. Hooper, Vice President, Texas NAACP

Dr. Kristen Guillory is an exceptional woman with an unbelievable gift of knowledge, humor, and the ability to speak to anyone and I mean anyone. .  I have seen her speak with people of all ages and I must say that self confidence and awareness seems to ooze from her pours. Her sheer will to accomplish any goal that she sets upon herself is one to be commended.  I can confidently say that her tenacity is contagious. 

Cessilye Smith—Founder and Executive Director of Project MICAH

Spending a Day With Dr. Kristen Guillory was Enlightening , Uplifting, Inspiring and very Motivating. To hear this young woman speak with such eloquence yet with simplicity where even a Child could understand was like a breathe of fresh air to myself and the Women’s group at Mt Zion Christian Fellowship.  Women can Now walk away with the words and encouragement of Ms. Guillory as “God’s Couture” with the feeling of self worth while using the tools giving to celebrate other sisters and lift up brothers in the process. 5 words to describe her are pure, exciting, powerful, humble, explorative

 Mt Zion Christian Fellowship

Dr. Guillory and I met through mutual acquaintances a few years back and reunited at a church event where she was the keynote speaker. I was so impressed by her maturity and speaking abilities as a young christian woman that I made sure I spoke to her after the event. I then explained to her that I myself had a nonprofit organization for teenage girls and that I would love for her to come check it out. We recently had a Tea Party where we focused on etiquette and sexual purity. Dr.Guillory was the speaker for sexual purity and the teens absolutely loved her!! She was so down to earth and very aware of the young artists and songs that were relative to their age group. She also kept the entire audience captivated and was intriguing throughout her speech. Girlfriends Ignite wants to thank you for your commitment to the community! We looks forward to inviting you to future events. We wish you well and keep allowing God to use you for his Glory!

Cassandra Wooten- Girlfriends Ignite, President & Founder

I have known Kristen Guillory for nearly 10 years. Though she is one of my best friends she has played many other roles in my life, including that of role model. After college I was like many young adults, tired of school after so many years and so happy to have a paycheck I’d accept any dead-end job that came my way. I was just going through the motions, exercising little control over the circumstances that would shape my future. However, Kristen inspired me to make good things happen in my life rather than waiting for them to magically occur. For me, that meant getting a masters degree, which led to my attending a top 10 law school and obtaining a job with a national law firm. She drastically changed the course of my life for the better and she didn’t have to say a word. Her drive, discipline and success spoke volumes. And I wasn’t the only one listening. I could easily name many other women who simply by knowing Kristen and observing the way she lives her life have been inspired to return to school, seek out their dream job or in some other manner work to improve their lives. For example, one woman works in nurse education and is getting a masters, another is working on her doctorate.
 
Those who are more affected by speaking and connecting to someone rather than merely observing them are likewise impacted by Kristen. Speaking is her specialty. I have witnessed people, sometimes of little or no acquaintance, confide in her and seek her counsel. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds trust her, respect her, and seek her out for guidance. She may have received her Ph.D. in 2007 but she was healing people long before then. In college, a time when young adults are normally self-consumed, Kristen started a program call Rights of Passage for the youth at her church. She devoted her Saturday mornings to them, and more. She was able to obtain the love and respect of children and young adults, some only a few years younger than her. Not only did she devote herself to them then, years later they are still her “kids.” They continue to seek her guidance and pass on what they have learned to others. Many of Kristen’s “children” have attended or are attending college and continue to abstain from having premarital sex. For those who know her, this is not surprising. It is impossible to come into contact with her and not change for the better. When Kristen interacts with a person, the question is not will they grow, but in what ways will they grow.

Cherice Hopkins JD, MBA

I have known Dr. Guillory since I was 12 years old. I am now almost 21 and I can honestly say that my life would not be the same if she had not been apart of it. Dr. G is a wonderful woman of God who is an awesome role model and a loyal friend. Dr. G  helped me reinforce my foundation with Christ with scriptures, prayer and a living example of what a true woman of God looks like. There has never been a time in my life when I needed her that she was not there for me. Dr. G made me apart of her life by making me feel that I was not just one of her mentoree’s but “one of the girls”. She didn’t treat me like some kid she was stuck with but like family. All the struggles that I have encountered here in college, I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart I was prepared in some way because of lessons I learned from her.

Whitney Cameron, Stephen F. Austin Pre-med major

In the nine years that I’ve known her, I’ve seen Dr. G develop into an incredibly talented woman of God who has the uncanny ability to bring humor to any situation.  But, rest assured, behind that wit is the wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can provide.  There have been moments where I’ve witnessed people ask for advice after meeting Dr. G once.  She has a presence of caring about her that anyone can see.  Dr. G’s genuine care and concern for others is a blessing to those who interact with her.  Always ready to lend a hand, an ear, or a resource, Dr. G is definitely someone who wants to be on your side and see you succeed.

Tracy Williams- Assistant Director Center for Professional Communication-Neeley School of Business & Majority Partner of TruSpeak Consulting

I have known Dr. Guillory for over 15 years.  During that time we have collaborated together professionally on numerous occasions; so much so, that I feel very qualified to speak to her abilities.  Dr. Guillory is a diligent student, always learning, even after having achieved academia’s highest honor.  She is a thorough researcher, carefully speaking and creating product that will consistently pass scrutiny.  However, in no other setting are her talents highlighted more significantly than when she is involved with youth.  Several years ago, I participated in a handful of Rites of Passage events at Dr. Guillory’s request.  Rites of Passage, her brainchild, was what I would ignorantly call an “after-school program” but yet it was so much more.  She took a sizeable group of children and coached, cared for, and cultivated them to the extent that their lives have been indelibly changed because of her involvement.  Today, those young men and women still rely on her for advice and stay sincerely indebted to Dr. Guillory for having had an above average adolescence.

            When I need advice on interviewing or making an employment decision I call Dr. Guillory.  When I need relationship advice I call Dr. Guillory.  When I need encouragement about the anemic job market I call Dr. Guillory.  She has mastered the art of being, at any given time, the most storied person in the room and yet also the most humble and the most willing to listen, thoroughly and intently, to both the counterpart and the child.  Dr. Guillory is a model for what we as adults should aspire to do in our children’s lives if we ever hope for them to exceed our expectations socially and professionally.   She has delivered countless presentations to youth about real issues, refusing to preach and choosing instead to teach.  To have Dr. Guillory associated with a project is to ensure that the project will be professionally executed and done so to a degree that few people can consistently deliver.  Having known Dr. Guillory for the entirety of my adult life, I am wise enough to know that in spite of her remarkable accomplishments so far, she is much closer to the launch than to the landing.

Justin Sauls
SMU Dedman School of Law
Candidate for Juris Doctor, December 2010