Emma Kenny is a Child Rights Education Officer for UNICEF Ireland. Emma has a Bachelors of Arts in History and Political Science with a concentration in Legal History. As an undergrad, Emma was involved with many of the First Year Experience programs including, Freshman Forum as a 2020-21 Intern, the Camper and Alumni Relations Coordinator for Camp 1831, Peer Leader, and New View Mentor. Emma was also worked as an Office Assistant in The Blackburn Institute (class of 2021) and as an Andrew Goodman Foundation Ambassador for UA Vote Everywhere.
She was in a number of honor societies including the XXXI, Anderson Society, Mortar Board, ODK, Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma, and Cardinal Key. Emma was in Phi Mu sorority, the Vice President for Leading Women of Tomorrow, and a Review Board Editor of the Crimson Historical Review. Emma was an ETA Fulbright scholar in Kosovo and now lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Tell us about your work as a Child Rights Education Officer.
As a Child Rights Education Officer, I support children, educators and school communities across Ireland to understand, respect and promote children’s rights. A key part of my role is supporting UNICEF Ireland’s Child Rights Schools program, helping schools embed children’s rights across teaching, learning, school culture and decision-making.
I work with schools all over Ireland as they become more rights-respecting environments. This includes onboarding new schools, supporting school coordinators, guiding schools through accreditation, and providing training, resources and CPD for educators. I also help teachers bring the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into classroom practice and whole-school life in practical, age-appropriate ways.
Student voice and youth participation are at the heart of everything we do. The program is about more than teaching children about their rights; it is about creating school environments where children are listened to, taken seriously and meaningfully involved in decisions that affect them.
Alongside my work with schools, I help raise awareness of children’s rights through educator newsletters, resources, World Children’s Day activity, website content, campaigns and social media. Overall, my role is about making children’s rights real in everyday school life and supporting schools to create inclusive classrooms where every child feels respected, heard and able to participate.
In your role with UNICEF Ireland, how do you see your day-to-day work contributing to long-term global impact?
In my role with UNICEF Ireland, I see my day-to-day work contributing to long-term global impact by helping children understand their rights and see themselves as active global citizens. Through the Child Rights Schools program, I support students to know their own rights and use their voice to help shape the world around them. For me, this work connects local action with global change. It empowers young people to think beyond their own classrooms and communities, and to recognize that children everywhere are entitled to dignity, fairness, equality and protection. When children learn about their rights and are encouraged to stand up for the rights of others, they become part of a wider movement to help children not only where they are from, but around the world, enjoy their rights too.
You’ve had experiences in Kosovo, Ireland, and now with UNICEF—how has your definition of leadership evolved since your time in Blackburn?
My definition of leadership has evolved significantly since my time in Blackburn. As a student, I saw leadership as taking initiative, solving problems and creating change. I still believe those things matter, but my experiences in Kosovo, Ireland and now with UNICEF have taught me that leadership is also about listening, building trust and creating opportunities for others to contribute.
During my Fulbright year in Kosovo, I worked with students, teachers and community members from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. That experience showed me that meaningful leadership begins with understanding people’s perspectives before offering solutions.
My work with UNICEF Ireland has strengthened this even more. In child rights education, leadership means empowering young people to know their rights, participate in decisions that affect them and recognize their role as active global citizens. It is not about speaking for children, but creating the conditions where they are heard, taken seriously and supported to lead change. Today, I see leadership as bringing people together, learning from others and helping build a fairer world where everyone, especially young people, can have their voices heard.
How do experiences like yours help bridge the gap between local leadership and global change?
Experiences like mine demonstrate that global change often begins with local action. Whether working with students in Kosovo or supporting schools across Ireland, I have seen how empowering individuals within their own communities can create a broader, lasting impact.
These experiences have shown me that leadership is not confined by geography. Values that drive positive change like respect, inclusion, participation, and service are found everywhere. When individuals work to strengthen their own communities, they contribute to larger movements that advance human rights and education around the world. Bridging local leadership and global change requires recognizing that even small actions can have ripple effects far beyond the communities where they begin.
What advice would you give current Blackburn Fellows who are interested in pursuing international opportunities?
My advice would be to remain open to opportunities that push you outside your comfort zone and challenge your assumptions about the world. International experiences are often most meaningful when they require you to adapt, listen and learn from people whose backgrounds and perspectives differ from your own. I would encourage Blackburn Fellows to approach these opportunities with curiosity and humility. It is important to think about what you can contribute, but even more important to recognize how much you can learn from the people and communities around you. I would also say to stay open to unexpected paths. International work does not always follow a straight line, but each experience can help you build new skills, clarify your values and better understand the kind of impact you want to have in the world.
If you could speak directly to current and future Blackburn Fellows, what would you encourage them to think about when it comes to leadership beyond Alabama?
I would encourage current and future Blackburn Fellows to think about leadership as something that extends beyond geographic boundaries. The challenges facing Alabama are often connected to larger national and global issues. Understanding those connections can make us more effective leaders at home.
Leadership beyond Alabama does not necessarily mean working internationally. Rather, it means developing the curiosity to learn from different communities, cultures, and perspectives and bringing those lessons back to your own work. My experiences in Kosovo and Ireland showed me that people around the world are often grappling with many of the same questions about opportunity, inclusion, and community. Engaging with those perspectives helped me become a more thoughtful and effective leader.
I would encourage Blackburn Fellows to remain open to experiences that broaden their understanding of the world. The more we learn from others, the better equipped we are to serve our own communities. Leadership is not about where you are located. It is about your willingness to listen, learn, and use your skills to create positive change wherever you find yourself.