PROFILE
NEWS
Kalonji Saterfield
Assistant Professor of
Communication Studies and
Motivational Speaker
The Power of
Positive Speaking
His message is aimed at highlighting the importance that commu-
nication plays for a successful life outside the classroom
STORY AND PHOTO
LIZETH FUENTES
Kalonji Saterfield’s vibrant
smile lights up the classroom
the moment he enters. The
communication studies professor
greets each student by name and
flashes a perpetual cheek to cheek
smile putting his students at ease.
His confidence and excitement are
infectious.
He begins his lesson on
emotional intelligence by having
students play a game to act out
different feelings in a light-heart-
ed and humorous way. For those
students that are uncomfortable
acting, he joins in and guides them
through the game.
Often Saterfield’s classes touch
on sensitive topics like sexism,
labels, and stereotypes that are
not commonly talked about in
classroom settings.
“He is definitely one of the best
communication teachers I’ve
had,” said sophomore Krystal
Barrera, who is enrolled in Kalonji’s
interpersonal communication
course. “He makes sure everyone
understands it and gives a lot of
examples. He is very kind and
helpful.”
But life wasn’t always all smiles
for Saterfield, and he learned early
that life was not going to be fair as
a black man living in America.
Growing up in a small community
near Riverside, The Saterfields
were one of the few black
families living in a mostly white
neighborhood.
His parents were conscious
of what kind of messages their
children would receive because
of this, and they wanted Kalonji
to know that black is beautiful
and powerful. His parents were
first-generation college graduates,
and the pressure was on young
Kalonji, and the children, to earn at
least a master’s degree.
He recalls his mother telling him
the truth about Santa Claus, and to
never believe that a fat white man
will ever give him anything for free.
“There’s not a lot of black role
models, in reality, or fairytales,
so they wanted us to be proud
of being African American. Think
about what that teaches some-
body of color,” Saterfield said.
Because Kalonji’s parents were
a big part of his life, their early
deaths — his dad when he was
16 and his mom at 26 — left him
heartbroken.
In 2012, Saterfield created the Carl
& Rose Memorial Scholarship Fund
in their honor, that assists students
or family members who have been
affected by cancer.
Kalonji is growing his brand as a
motivational speaker. In March, he
delivered a speech about human
rights and equity in education. He
spoke with the same passion to the
600 academic professionals as he
does to his students each class.
“Prejudice, where people
are treated as less than equal,
is definitely a trigger for me”
Saterfield said.
When asked what advice would
he give to his future children, he
replied the same information that
he tells his students every day in
the classroom.
“Happiness is a choice. What I
want my son or daughter to realize
is that you can create your own fun
and happiness. Despite all the bad
things, the setbacks in your life,
you are a powerful human being.”
el Don Santa Ana College · May 2019
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