Caption: Justin Pickens (’10) teaches P.E. at Rolling Ridge Elementary in Olathe, Kansas. He and his wife, Kyndra (’14), live in Shawnee with their son, Whit, and daughters, Gentry and Kennedy.
From Hardship to Hope
When Justin Pickens (’10) stood before 300 high school students considering a career in education, he shared a message profoundly personal and powerfully hopeful. His presentation, “Breaking Cycles, Building Futures: Three Truths Every Future Educator Should Know,” was more than motivation to the Educators Rising conference—it was a glimpse into how one caring teacher can change a life.
Growing up in a home marked by struggle and instability, where his parents faced their own battles with the law and addiction, Justin says school was the one place where he and his younger brother felt seen. “Teachers carried the baton for us,” he told the students. “They made us feel like somebody.” When his parents’ problems increased to the point that the brothers were placed in foster care, Justin leaned into school even harder.
His PE teacher, Coach Todd Frencken, was the first to believe in him. Later, his high school football coach, Jeff Wilkie, became a mentor and father figure—attending Justin’s first college football game at MNU, lending support when Justin’s father passed away, and joining him on his college senior day when Justin’s parents couldn’t be there.
Finding Faith and Purpose at MNU
At MNU, where he majored in history and government education and competed in track and football, Justin found both academic excellence and spiritual purpose. He also found mentors, such as Rev. Brady Braatz, Dr. Kelvin St. John, and Coach Rick Fields, the latter of whom recruited him to MNU.
In the summer after his freshman year, Justin, who had always considered himself a Christian, embarked on a deeper relationship with the Lord. “My navigational beacon was not based on Christ,” he said. “It was based on what the world said.” That change of course marked the moment when God started to guide the direction of his life.
When Success Isn’t Enough
Graduating from MNU with honors, he began a 13-year teaching career that eventually led him from teaching high school social studies and coaching to middle school physical education.
After experiencing what Justin calls an identity crisis, he pivoted to achieve business success, first as a financial advisor and then as a Chick-fil-A multi-unit executive director of talent. Yet, the financial success those endeavors provided didn’t satisfy him. “It wasn’t feeding my soul,” he said.
Called Back to the Classroom
When an opportunity arose to return to teaching, he seized it, believing that God would provide for his family if they sought His will. Today, Justin teaches P.E. at Rolling Ridge Elementary, a Title I school in Olathe, where 13 languages are spoken. “Every day I get to connect with kids and make them feel like somebody,” he says. “That’s my calling.”
He also manages to fit motivational speaking into his busy life, speaking more than 20 times last year.
What Chapter Will You Write
“Whatever background you come from, you can help write someone else’s story,” Justin said. “When I look back at what the professors at MNU did for me, my coaches, my teachers in high school and elementary, I always think—yes, I was writing my own story, but they were always there, and I would hand them the pen every once in a while—and they would just join in on the writing. That’s my big message. What chapter are you going to be part of in somebody else’s book?”
It’s a philosophy rooted in his own experience at MNU, where mentors and professors helped him discover that living a purposeful life begins with investing in others. Back to Justin’s presentation and three truths for future educators—Content Matters, Connection Matters, Calling Matters. Together, they encapsulate his journey from hardship to hope. “Join me in breaking cycles,” he told the crowd. “Go be amazing.”
Learn more about MNU’s teacher education programs at mnu.edu/pgs-education.
