By In a classroom filled with students with all different abilities, student teacher Kennedy Venner moves around quickly from desk to desk leaning down to each of their levels so they feel seen and welcomed.
Venner offers encouragement as the students work through a functional task. Some kids just need a word of encouragement and some need a strong hug. Others need her to pull up a chair and help them figure something out.
Surrounding her is a room that is filled with learners of all abilities, each requiring different kinds of help.
This is where her love comes to life.
“I focus on being genuine and present,” Venner said. “I take time to get to know students as individuals, their interests, strengths and challenges. I want them to feel seen and supported.”
Hours after the school day is over, Venner will take the mound on a softball field carrying the same energy and leadership into the game. Whether she’s on the mound, in a classroom, or volunteering in the Helena community, she has built a reputation for showing up with consistency and purpose.
Venner, a senior pitcher from Billings studying elementary and special education, is a Montana Athlete in Service award winner, which means she has not only made an impact on the field but in her community as well.
Her achievements on the field are well known to the Carroll community. She is a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, a tribute to her 500 strikeouts (and counting.)
Venner is balancing student teaching with her final season playing college softball.
“Being a student-athlete has really shaped how I respond when things get hard,” Venner said. “There have been a lot of long days and moments where things feel overwhelming but I have learned how to stay focused, manage my time and keep showing up time and time again.”
That resilient mindset is Venner’s signature – on the field, in the classroom, in life.
“Kennedy epitomizes everything you would like to see in a student-athlete,” said Rachelle Sayers, her host mom and head women’s basketball coach. “She is a leader who truly cares about those around her, whether this be her teammates, her community, her school or the students she is teaching.”
Venner spends a significant amount of time working in classrooms with regular students and students who have physical, developmental, and behavioral disabilities.
“Kennedy is very natural with the kids,” said Jen Jenkins, the third-grade teacher who supervises and mentors Venner. “She takes time to get to know them, eats lunch or plays games with them, and keeps them engaged through fun, interactive lessons.”
Every connection she builds is intentional.
“Building trust comes from consistency, listening and showing that I truly care about both academically and personally,” Venner said.
In a functional skills classroom, where organization, structure and relationships are vital. Venner is loved by the students and admired by experienced teachers who say her impact “is almost immediate.”
“She learned each student and their nuances and was able to connect with each one personally,’ said Jamie Cosenza, a special education teacher. “She was able to lovingly set boundaries and consistently hold them – an important skill.”
Venner’s ability to read situations sets her apart.
“Kennedy is a doer,” Cosenza said. “She is able to read the room and anticipate what needs to happen, then uses initiative to get it done.”
That awareness is something that Venner has developed through both teaching kids and playing softball.
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“I have learned that leadership is less about being in charge and more about building trust and relationships,” she said. “On the field, it is about supporting teammates and leading by example. In the classroom, it is about creating a safe environment where students feel valued and heard.”
Her work with children was part of the reason she was honored as a Montana Athletes in Service award winner and awarded the George M. Dennison Civic Engagement Scholarship. Both of these awards recognize her impact on and off the field. But for Venner, recognition is not the goal.
“I am motivated by the impact I can have on others, especially students,” she said. “Knowing that I can make a difference in how a student feels about themselves or their learning drives me to put in all the extra effort.”
Through all challenges she has been through – such as having to relearn how to after an injury – Venner she has leaned into her resilience.
“Resilience is about continuing to show up and give your best, even when you are stretched thin,” Venner said.”It is about staying committed, being flexible when things change and not giving up when it would be easier to take a step back.”
Head softball coach Shawna Juarez has seen that resilience firsthand.
“Through every obstacle, (Kennedy) chose grit over doubt and determination over discouragement.” Juarez said.
As graduation approaches this spring, Venner is completing her student teaching while finishing her final season with the Fighting Saints.
She plans to begin her teaching career near her hometown of Billings.
“She has had a tremendous impact on Carroll College and the Saints softball team,” Sayers said. “But the impact she will make in the lives of others as a teacher will be the true testament of who she is.”
Venner leaves behind a legacy at Carroll, yet it’s not measured by the wins she has or the awards she has won.
Kennedy’s legacy lies inside people she has supported, the students she has inspired, and the examples she has set.
That’s a legacy that will continue to grow, long after her final pitch.
“I hope to create a lasting, positive impact by making my students feel safe, valued and capable,” Venner said. “I want them to leave my classroom not only with knowledge, but with confidence in themselves.”
