Embracing the Rapidly Evolving World of Education

Kayla Burt ’17 credits her time at Le Moyne with preparing her to hold multiple perspectives, to stand up for others, and to use her voice. Each of these skills informs the work Burt now does as a program administrator in the Center for Constructive Communication at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Buffalo, N.Y., native engages in projects that measure – and help ensure – student, faculty, staff  and community success. Among her chief priorities is ensuring that students have the tools they need to thrive. What’s more, in a world in which education is evolving rapidly, shaped by forces like artificial intelligence, she wants to play a role in ensuring that it is more accessible to people around the world. 

Burt’s work is influenced in part by her time at Le Moyne where, in addition to studying psychology, she was a member of the College’s golf team and received the Magis Award for Leadership. The alumna recalls being “exposed to different people and ideas that enrich [her] world.” While she initially considered moving into the medical field after graduation and becoming a physical therapist, it was not long before she was pulled to education. She began her career at Le Moyne as an admission counselor before being named an assistant director for graduate admission at another Jesuit institution, Boston College. After this, she went to MIT to become a Data Research Analyst at the Sloan School of Management.

In addition to her work at MIT, Burt is working toward a doctoral degree in information science from the University at Buffalo. She also works as a research and teaching assistant for Reflective Educational Research, creating and analyzing global surveys on teacher practices and beliefs around technology, and helps with an Action Research course for K-12 educators worldwide with the Apple Distinguished Schools program.

Beyond those professional responsibilities, Burt gives back to her alma mater as a member of the College’s Alumni Advisory Board and helps advance her profession as a member of the National Council for Measurement in Education’s Student Issues Committee. She also shares her love of golf with children as a coach for First Tee and as a trustee for Western New York PGA Reach Foundation.

At the core of everything Burt does is her belief in the power of learning.