Kalyn Lee builds education and communications career around access and equity

Kalyn Lee, a Miami-Fort Lauderdale area communications and education leader, is using roles at GoFundMe, Broward College and the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League to expand opportunity for students across South Florida. Her work has helped drive a league turnaround, raise $72,000 at its first gala and strengthen support for Title I schools.

Why it matters: - Kalyn Lee’s career shows how education, debate, and communications can work together to expand access for students in South Florida. - Her leadership focuses on Title I schools, student programming, and community partnerships that can translate directly into more opportunity. - Her work spans classroom teaching, nonprofit leadership, and media relations, giving her influence across several parts of the education pipeline.

What happened: - Kalyn Lee is a communications and education leader based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. - Lee serves as a Communications Associate at GoFundMe, Assistant Professor at Broward College, and Program Director of the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League. - The Miami-Dade Urban Debate League says Lee has been central to the organization’s turnaround over the past three years. - The league’s inaugural gala raised $72,000 for student programming and future growth. - Lee also teaches at Miami Dade College and Broward College.

The details: - Lee began competing in debate in 2009 while in high school. - A full scholarship to the University of Alabama’s collegiate debate team followed. - She built skills in argumentation, public speaking, leadership, and critical thinking during her college debate career. - In 2017, Lee joined the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League as a debate coach at Miami Carol City Senior High School through Teach for America Miami. - Miami-Dade County Public Schools later recognized Lee as Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2020. - Lee worked with school board members Luisa Santos, Lucia Baez-Geller, and Steve Gallon III to push for more resources for Title I schools. - At GoFundMe, Lee partners with journalists nationwide to elevate stories about people and communities facing crisis or pursuing opportunity. - Lee’s career has connected debate, education, communications, and community engagement for more than a decade.

Between the lines: - Lee’s path suggests that access to opportunity is often built through relationships as much as credentials. - Her focus on debate reflects a broader belief that communication skills can help students advocate for themselves and move into higher education and careers. - Her advice to young women entering the field emphasizes networking, visibility, and being intentional about the roles they accept. - Lee’s father’s advice, “never be the smartest person in the room,” has shaped her view that growth depends on accountability and learning from others. - Faith, family, and friends remain a foundation for her personal and professional life.

What’s next: - Lee plans to keep advancing the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League’s mission as it expands programming and rebuilds infrastructure. - She will continue teaching in higher education while using communications work to surface stories that connect people with resources. - Her stated goal remains consistent: helping students and communities access the support they need to succeed.

The bottom line: - Kalyn Lee is building a career around one idea: communication can be a tool for equity when it is paired with mentorship, teaching, and community action.

More information or the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League team profile