Brandi Kerley is excited to join the Little Loudspeakers Academy, LLC group as an instructor for Public Speaking, Debate, and Writing. Brandi Kerley aka “Confidence Whisperer” graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a dual Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology and Art. She specializes in students who are low in confidence or those who are shy. She is knowledgeable about all aspects of communication, especially public speaking, debate, and creative writing. She has ultimately decided to pass on her knowledge and teach these communication skills, which she finds most rewarding. She is passionate about getting students excited about public speaking, debate, and creative writing, which she feels will not only benefit their futures as adults but also their current lives.
Brandi has over 15 years of experience teaching a variety of ages from pre-kindergarten through senior citizens in subjects of Art, Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Math, Science, Biology, History, Anthropology, Social Studies, Reading, and English as a Foreign Language. In her spare time, Brandi loves to read and serves as an Alpha, Beta, and ARC reader for Indie Authors.
She focused on Cultural Studies and the impact of Rhetoric and Imagery on Public Opinion as it pertains to Resource Extraction, completing bodies of work both written and artistic. Those works culminated in a solo show at the Kenai Fine Art Gallery. Brandi worked in the Anthropology Lab on campus as an undergraduate, under the direction of Dr. Alan Boraas. While there, she participated in several digs and research projects that had significant cultural significance. She completed the Online Teaching Certification for curriculum development and delivery in 2017. Upon graduation, Brandi used her knowledge of Alaska Native and Cultural Studies to advocate for students entering the University of Alaska system as the Developmental Advisor at Kenai Peninsula College. She created a blended advising approach both in-person and online to reach the growing online contingent of students. Brandi created FAQ tutorial videos, online office hours, presentations, and class visits to ensure students felt supported and aware of the resources available to them.
Love of learning and the joy of teaching from a very young age inspired Brandi to assign ‘homework’ to her siblings and cousins and then ‘grade’ it after ‘class.’ The desire and drive to impart the love of knowledge to others and the skills to pursue and engage successfully with learning continued to strengthen with time. This has led to Brandi being a popular substitute for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and is frequently requested by classes to be ‘Their’ substitute when the teacher is out. She has a passion for teaching and fostering positive classroom interactions and environments. She utilizes instructional TPR (Total Physical Responses) with an I Do-You Do-We Do scaffolding and extensions to ensure comprehension, fluency, and mastery of the material.
As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman, Brandi is intimately familiar with the difficulties of speaking and presenting in public and her experiences lend themselves to creating inclusive, supportive, and informative environments in which the children she teaches feel validated, seen, and thrive. She wants kids to know that everyone can be a good public speaker, that they may develop skills that will serve them in every area of their lives moving forward, and that it may even be fun. Ultimately, even when you are neurologically wired differently you may be happy, accomplished, successful, and achieve your goals.