Faith, family and following a dream: How this K-State couple is making an impact on the next generation of students
Although a teacher may only have a child in their classroom for a brief time, the
impact that educator can make on the child is immeasurable.
A teacher is one of a child’s first mentors, and their compassion, encouragement and
empowerment can change the course of a child’s life forever.
That’s a heavy — and humbling — amount of responsibility, and it’s a weight that Brandon
’17 and Ralita ’13 Cheeks don’t carry lightly. They’ve dedicated their lives to making
an impact for good on the educational system and inspiring the students they work
with.
In the midst of pursuing careers, raising their own children, volunteering with St.
John’s Missionary Baptist Church, and serving as chaplains at Kansas Wesleyan University,
they carved out time to pursue master’s degrees, and in May 2024 they will both graduate
with doctorates from K-State.
The journey might not have been easy, but looking back, they agree it has definitely
been worth it.
“I was graduating with my master’s, and I said, you know, I want to do this again,”
Ralita recalls of her dream to continue on and earn a doctorate. “And I talked to
my husband, and I was like, ‘Hey, what do you think if one day, we go back, and we
do this together?’”
“It was challenging, but it opened up my eyes and mind to some different things, and
it helped me understand some more things about myself,” Brandon said. “That really
encouraged me and had a positive impact on me.”
***
The Cheeks live in Salina, Kansas, and originally met at Kansas Wesleyan. Brandon,
who currently serves as the principal at Sunset Elementary School in Salina, said
his initial connection to K-State came through an undergraduate class experience,
and K-State felt like the right place to continue the couple’s personal educational
journey.
Ralita started her career working at a mental health center, but she discovered her
true passion was practicing in the school system. She’s currently a specialized learning
services consultant at Greenbush, an education service center for southeast Kansas.
Ralita said it can be challenging to find higher education programs specializing in
school counseling, and K-State “won my heart.”
“I am a school counselor through and through; it is my passion, it is what I love,”
Ralita said. “If you ever wake up and you find yourself in a job, and you're just
like, ‘This is me. Yeah, this is who I am.’ And that is what school counseling is
for me, having something to do with young people. It is very fulfilling.”
Ralita said she also appreciated how K-State gave her an opportunity to explore the
importance of social justice in her field, through a K-State social justice education
certificate.
“If you really put it in perspective, that's just the natural progression for a school
counselor,” she said. “Just to be accepting and creating those safe spaces, and I
was like, ‘Absolutely, this is what I want to do.’ And so I've had a lot of great
projects that I've been able to work on just as far as diversity, equity, inclusion
and belonging within pursuing my social justice education.”
Ralita said it wasn’t until she pursued her doctorate that she had a Black woman as
an educator.
“That connection, it was something that I've never felt,” Ralita recalls. “She would
make anecdotal remarks and stories, and I understood. That's beautiful. Because we
had the same background.”
While Brandon had a different experience growing up, he too knows the power of being
able to look out and see others like you that are living the same dream you have.
“I'm from Memphis, Tennessee, so I had a very unique experience,” he said. “Back in
elementary, I had a lot of African American teachers. Then in middle school, I did
as well. Junior high, high school, I had some Black teachers. It was something I was
used to. When I went to college, I realized there were no teachers of color for me.”
While studying at K-State, Brandon was selected for the Jackson Scholars program, which has a goal of building a robust pipeline of graduate students of color
who plan to work in the field of educational leadership in K-12 or higher education.
“Just seeing that there are other professionals, doctors that are out there, and people
of color that are leading, it's empowering,” he said.
Brandon credits his time at K-State for honing his leadership skills and teaching
him the importance of accepting and embracing his own lived experiences and encouraging
others to do the same.
“You are different, and that is something positive,” he said.
***
A major driver of Brandon and Ralita’s passion for education and leadership is their
six children at home: two in high school, two in middle school, and two in elementary
school. They want to be the kind of role models that their children can look up to.
While the Cheeks’ household is a very busy place — balancing work, school and a variety
of schedules and activities — Brandon and Ralita make sure to prioritize time for
family.
“It takes teamwork and collaboration with your spouse to try to figure it out,” Brandon
said. “I had a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you're not gonna be able to be there with your
family.’ And I think that's a myth. I think that you have to make a decision what's
important to you, and if you want to be there, be there.”
Ralita shares an example of how the couple supports each other: During a season where
she was having to travel a lot and would get too busy to eat, Brandon would make sure
she had some cash in her car and a note to remind her to stop and grab something along
the way.
“Just the demand, it seemed like it was insurmountable, and like I couldn't do it,”
she remembers feeling at one point. “And going back to my husband and saying, ‘Maybe
I just need to take a break.’ And my husband said, ‘Oh no, you don't — you’ve come
too far. You finish it.”
“God's given me the strength and wisdom and guidance for us to be able to do this,”
Brandon adds.
Brandon and Ralita take turns going to different family events, making sure their
kids know there will always be someone there to support them. The family members also
stay in frequent contact to maintain a sense of connection.
“We can't tell you that there weren't struggles,” Ralita said. “We have to understand,
storms are going to come. But if we do anything, as educators, as parents, husband
and wife, let us make sure that we teach others how to weather it, make sure they
know how to prepare for it.”
***
As for what’s ahead for Brandon and Ralita after graduation? They want to remain flexible
and see what opportunities might arise. Church volunteering will keep them busy as
well; Brandon serves as assistant to the pastor at their church, and Ralita is the
youth director.
“For me it’s just praying, and whatever doors the Lord opens for me,” Brandon said.
“What is in my future, I don't know,” Ralita said. “But I know that I'm going to be
prepared for it. And I know that whatever it is, I'm good enough. I feel empowered,
and I feel like I do have a story to tell from my perspective.”