U.S. weightlifting record holder, Olympian, husband, father, “citizen of the world.”
Kendrick Farris has earned a lot of titles in a career that’s spanned more than two decades.
But the Shreveport native picked up one more – college graduate.
Farris walked across the Brookshire Grocery Arena stage on May 16 with an LSUS general studies degree with a concentration in applied and social sciences.
“This is the first graduation I’ve taken part in since middle school,” Farris said. “It felt really good.
“My row was called, and I was still sitting there watching others. It was one or two rows later when I realized I needed to go up there.”
Farris is used to having all eyes on him as a three-time U.S. Olympian who is the only American male to break two U.S. records in two different weight classes.
His weightlifting journey started as a youth in the LSUS Weightlifting Center as part of Dr. Kyle Pierce’s community program and has taken him around the world as a competitor and ambassador.
Pierce, who admitted he didn’t attend any of his own graduations, stood next to Farris with a big smile.
“(Pierce) always encouraged me to finish my education, said I needed to finish,” Farris said. “We’ve had all these conversations, and it was great to share that moment with him.”
Farris is in his first year as a juvenile detention officer in Caddo Parish, having mentored youth there before becoming a full-time employee.
“It’s a place where I’ve done some counseling and recreation with kids, and this is a great opportunity to work with these youth in a different way,” Farris said this past summer. “Correction is love, and if it’s not rooted in love, then it’s not correction.
“You can share with them what they need to know, and at the same time be a person that they hopefully can confide in. Sometimes people go through things, and they feel like nobody else is going through that. But this is an opportunity to present something different to them, to be an example that maybe they haven’t been exposed to.”
He sees his long-term future in corporate wellness, combining weightlifting as a therapy along with nutrition and other wellness avenues.
Farris’ reputation in the weightlifting world opens many doors, but he said a college degree would allow him to work with more varied partners.
“Finishing my degree solidified everything,” Farris said. “The organizations I work with, the community things I do here in Louisiana and Texas and also in Colorado (home of the U.S. Olympic training center) – it’s going to allow me to do more.
“(The degree) opens doors to partner with different organizations. My persona does a lot, but for people who don’t know me, now the resume is more complete, and there won’t be that hesitation that’s sometimes been there.”
Not only has Farris experienced weightlifting therapeutic’s release in his own life, but he’s seen it in action many times in his volunteer work.
One notable example came in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina when New Orleanians staying in Shreveport lifted weights at LSUS as a way to blow off steam.
“It was a chance for them to come into the gym and forget about their circumstances for a little bit, and it was a really cool experience to have fun with them,” Farris said about his first real introduction into coaching. “I would always help my peers when we were lifting as a group, but the experience after Hurricane Katrina and then my first Olympics in Beijing really opened my eyes to the possibilities involved with coaching.”
Farris will return to that LSUS gym to host a youth weightlifting program through Caddo Parish Parks and Recreation.
The summer training opportunity is for youths 10-18.
The 12-week program begins June 3 (until Aug. 22) and will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-noon.
Registration for one of the 15 slots can be made at caddoparks.org.
Farris acquired various sponsorships for the camp, including from Derrick Parker’s Heartwork Institute. Parker is an LSUS basketball Hall of Famer.