Kendra James

Kendra James is a writer and editor whose work considers education, race, media, and the stories institutions tell about themselves. Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School looks back at her three years at the Taft School, where she entered in 2003 as the first African American legacy student. Grand Central Publishing issued the memoir. James combines personal recollection with an examination of elite-school culture, including classroom expectations, campus journalism, friendship, and the burden placed on students who are asked to explain institutional failures. She later worked in school admissions before moving into editorial roles, experience that lets the book compare a student's view with the language schools use to present opportunity and belonging. Her essays have also appeared in publications including Elle and Cosmopolitan.