King Elexis I Kendrick Terrell Dunklin was born in Mobile, Alabama.  He is the son of Bennie Lee Sims, Sr., and Cynthia Marie Shinn.  He has four sisters: Kenesha Dunklin, Debrika Johnson, Lakeisa Johnson, and Bendrea Sims; and three brothers: Barrette Denson (deceased), Bennie Sims, and Milton Shinn.  He is the grandson of Melvin and Dora Sims (paternal) and Azell Dunklin, Sr., and Shirley Strickland (maternal).  Kendrick is also the great grandson of the late Abraham and Creola Norwood.

 Kendrick is a 2005 graduate of Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, Alabama, where he graduated with honors and was a recipient of the Lloyd Black Leadership Scholarship.  Being involved in many scholastic and social activities, Kendrick served as senior class president, newspaper editor, Fellowship of Christian Athletes president, Student against Destructive Decisions president, MCPSS Superintendent’s Advisory Board, and he was on the track team.  Kendrick was also a student in the Spring Hill College Upward Bound program, a beau in the LeBeautillion Militaire Program through Jack and Jill of America, and he also represented the City of Mobile and Mary G. Montgomery High School at the Alabama Boy’s State Program.

Before attending college, Kendrick attended Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile, where he gained a strong faith and belief in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, under the leadership of Rev. James Murphy.  He was active as a youth leader serving as president of the Youth and Young Adult Choir and president of the Young Adult Usher Board.

 Kendrick is a proud 2010 graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. While at Spring Hill, Kendrick was a Springhillian Ambassador, a member of Multicultural Student Union, served as the News Editor for the school’s newspaper, and he served on the Student Activities Task Force.  Kendrick also served as a volunteer through Spring Hill’s Foley Community Center.  He has tutored at Chastang Middle School, Denton Middle School, and Mary G. Montgomery High School.

 Kendrick is currently an Admissions Counselor for Spring Hill College, where is also the advisor for the Multicultural Student Union.  He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and Southern Association for College Admission Counseling.  He is pursuing his masters in Liberal Arts with a concentration in English from Spring Hill.  Kendrick is also a teacher and residence hall counselor with the Spring Hill College Upward Bound program.  Kendrick feels blessed to still be a part of the institution that instilled in him to “take the time and make the effort to teach and act with justice, with care and in the service of others.”

 Kendrick is currently a member of New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, where the Rev. Clinton L. Johnson, Sr., is his pastor.

 The social issue which Kendrick believes is of vital importance is the low rate of minorities with four year degrees.  “28% of Americans 25 and older had at least four-year degrees. But the rate for Black Americans was just 17%, and for Hispanic Americans only 13% as of 2009.”  This is an alarming problem when there are so many resources and avenues our youth can utilize to gain a postsecondary education.  My goal is to find and connect with under-represented students to assist them with navigating through their postsecondary options, which is what makes my work with the Upward Bound Program a fulfilling experience.  Those kids inspire me every day because they are fighting the fight to not become another troubling minority statistic. 

 Kendrick was a Knight in 2009 on the Royal Court of King Jonathan Horner and Queen Lauren Gabrielle Levins, and he served as First Knight in 2011 on the Royal Court King Freddie Demetrius Stokes and Queen Kafi D’Nese Kennedy Swanson.  Kendrick has also served as an escort to Miss Deyetta Johnson in the Original Dragons Debutant Program.

 The theme of Kendrick’s reign is “A Dream Determined.”  Langston Hughes famously asked in one of his poems, ‘What happens to a dream deferred?”  Life is full of obstacles, but we can choose through what lens we view life through, for me I never look at obstacles as a means to defer the inevitable, I view them through the lens of a faith more determined.  For I am the illustration of what happens when a dream is determined, it preserves and achieves.  Kendrick wants his reign to symbolize the importance of chasing after your dreams without any regrets.  His stepmom, Lexie Johnson, and his uncle, William Johnson, always inspired Kendrick to follow his heart in every decision he makes throughout his life.  They instilled confidence in Kendrick and inspired him to be the man that he wants to be, not what anybody else wanted him to be.  “I want youth to know that it’s absolutely okay to just be yourself.  I have never and I never will let anyone force me to be any different than I am right now.  You have to be proud of who you are, no matter what stage you are in life.  I fought to be the man that I am today, and I don’t regret one second of my determination.”