ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
At many events in the Liberal community, Alana King can be seen either helping behind the scenes or chatting it up with other patrons to those events.
King’s involvement in the community can be traced back to a very young age, and that involvement has continued to even now.
“I was born and raised in Liberal, and I went to school at the former McDermott Elementary School, then Seymour Rogers Middle School, and then I graduated from Liberal High School. While I was at LHS, I was involved in just about everything, but I was particularly involved in Student Council, NHS, AVID and a few other activities, and I was the president of the school's Black Student Union group,” King said. “I was also Student Council vice president my senior year. Nowadays, I do some pageants and some modeling for an area photographer. What originally sparked my interest in being so involved was my grandma, she always told me 'Try something new, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there' so I could find my passion. I found out I had a passion for leading groups and being in that type of role, which is a skill that has transferred really well to where I am now since I have great leadership skills and people skills that allow me to work with all different types of people. All of that really prepared me for the real world and all the different people and personalities I would have to deal with.”
And through it all, King said she has been able to enjoy everything.
“I can't say there was one thing in particular that kept me going, it was just one of those situations where I was just constantly thinking about what I had to do for this group and what I was working on with another group,” King said. “And I truly enjoyed everything I was working on and doing, and when you enjoy something to that level, you just want to keep doing it, and that was pretty much me. And I would definitely want to keep doing what I’m doing because I've received so much support from people in town, and I feel like it's important for me to do my part and give back.”
King added she has many great memories from growing up in Liberal.
“The community support is what I remember most from growing up here,” King said. “Everything I was involved with always got a lot of community support, and it's great knowing there are so many people in Liberal who will support you and have your back, no matter what you do. I also loved all the parades in town I either watched or was part of while growing up, they were always so much fun.”
King said she also has her eyes on the future.
“I have my CNA certification, which I got because I knew it would be a good idea to have a Plan B in case there was something that didn't quite work out how I wanted,” King said. “My Plan A, however, is to have my own business, and I want to have my own art gallery. With everything I was involved with while I was in school, that had me around a lot of people, and having my own art gallery would help with exactly that since there will be customers and clients to work with. I know I'll also have to be constantly thinking about what will bring people in and what people like, and I like seeing that type of enjoyment on everyone's face. I would also love to see more activities and opportunities for the youth in town to keep them engaged. Especially for young people around the preteen/early teen age, there aren't really very many activities or opportunities for them in town, so I would love to see that for them. With that age group, there's a bigger chance for them to get involved in something way more unpleasant, so they need something to keep them involved and active.”
While this year’s Black History Month festivities in Liberal have concluded, King offered encouragement for turnout and participation in next year’s fun.
“Honestly, just come out. They're posted ahead of time so everyone knows what will be happening and when, and they're always open to everyone in the community,” King said. “Our Black History Month events are always a great time for everyone to come together and be united and celebrate. Just come out, bring your family and friends and help us celebrate. It's also a great time to educate yourself somewhat on Black history. I've been on the committee for a little while, and my favorite part is the fashion show, which we didn't end up doing this year due to some circumstances, and I've also enjoyed getting the LHS BSU group involved with some of the setup. That's been especially cool because I want them to think about joining the committee themselves and being part of those efforts, because we do have committee members who won't be on the committee forever, so it's been great bringing in the youth.”
