Karlene Brown: From Champion on the Field to Champion in Her Field

The melting pot that is America offers opportunities to those willing to seize them, but sometimes, what America gets out of the exchange is even more valuable.

Such is the case with Jamaican native, Bethel athletic standout and McKenzie educator and coach Karlene (Ellis) Brown.

Brown was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, the fourth of seven siblings.

She told the Banner, “Where I grew up, it was in the country, and we were poor. My mom [Gloria Ellis] was the driving force for me. She didn’t have an education, but she pushed for it. She was a domestic helper. I had no lunch money, but I had taxi fare to get to school. In high school, my coach made sure I had lunch and something else to eat after training.”

She attended primary school at Simon All Age and then attended St. Jago High School. She ran track and was a member of the first team from her school to win the national championship in 1998.

She then began to play soccer under Coach Donald Cleary, in which she also won a championship. Brown was a two-year captain of the team.

After graduating in 2000, she attended pre-university, or sixth-form.

She was awarded a scholarship to an American university in 2002 but was denied a visa.

For a time, she worked for the non-profit Children First, an organization for poor children led by Jamaican actress Claudette Pious.

In 2003, Brown received a scholarship to Bethel College and played soccer and ran track from 2003-7. Recruited two years prior by Lady Wildcat Soccer Coach Brian Delong, who departed in the meantime, she was coached by Misty Aird and Melvin Delong, brother of Brian. Her track coach was Matt Aird, husband of Misty.

She told The Banner, “It was difficult coming. The transition was hard. I wasn’t producing at first, but then it clicked.”

Brown was a four-year starter and part of the first Lady Wildcat soccer team to advance to nationals, which they did three years from 2003-5. She was a captain for two years.

Brown was the first in her family to graduate high school and furthermore to graduate college, earn a Masters and a Masters plus 30.

After graduating from Bethel, Brown worked at the now-defunct Carroll County Special Learning Center for eight or nine years. While there, she established the Carroll County Special Olympics.

After the learning center’s closure, she came to McKenzie, where she currently teaches Special Education at the middle school and coaches both the boys and girls McKenzie High School soccer teams alongside Jeremy Bilger.

Brown has been an American citizen since 2012, having come on a student visa, then completing the green card process before finally earning full citizenship.

She said, “The process was expensive and difficult, but it represented an opportunity to provide better for my family, to give my children more opportunities growing up.”

She continued, “A lot of people think that people come here and depend on the government, but that’s not the truth. If you don’t have a green card, you’re not able to get help. If you have a green card, it doesn’t matter how you got it, you have to have it for three years to apply for citizenship. And if you have a green card and get assistance, you can’t earn citizenship. And you have to pay for the process the whole way through.”

She spoke about some of the differences in Jamaica and the U.S., noting first that the climate and food are “totally different.” She noted that most in Jamaica cook at home on Sunday, while Americans tend to eat out. She added that church on Saturday is much more common in Jamaica.

She said, “There’s more opportunity here to work and grow. In Jamaica, more people are self-employed, whereas here, there are job opportunities.

She described the schools as totally different as well. “Jamaican schools are harder, and you have to pay for high school [which begins in seventh grade]. There are no school buses, just public transportation. In Jamaica, you take a sixth grade exam, and you choose three high schools. Your score determines which school you attend, and you must commute.” She also noted that it’s harder to get loans there.

She noted that her sister, Althea Ellis, attended college in Jamaica, self-paid, and worked in the U.S. in the summers on a visa. She has since earned a Masters in the U.S. and teaches in Colorado.

Brown spoke about teaching Special Ed. “I love my job. I tend to be drawn to students with different behavior because I have the patience to draw it out, because I understand not having what I need, having to work extra hard. I understand these students. I know how hard it is to be different and to work hard. I teach them that if there’s something you want to achieve, if you work hard, you’ll be able to achieve it, no matter where you came from.”

She said black history is an important part of her life because, “I have three beautiful children [son Lamarr and twin daughters Amina and Amelia]. I want them to know their roots, where they came from. I want them to be able to have conversations with people about it and be proud of who they are. I have to teach them, so I’m digging deeper myself. When my children ask something, I can know. I’m a lifelong learner.”

Brown has been able to take Lamarr to Jamaica several times and looks forward to taking the twins. “Most of my family is there besides my mother, brother and sister, who live in the U.S.”

Brown also tries to give back as much as possible to those in Jamaica who are where she was. “We got help from people we didn’t know. Now we’ve got to give back what we have gotten.” In the past, she has led efforts to send school supplies to Jamaica to the less fortunate. She hopes to start a foundation to expand on those efforts.

She noted in particular that special education there is not what it is here. “Those students are not as fortunate. Inclusion is not as advanced.” Her ambitions include collecting used tablets and other devices to improve special education students’ lives.

She put a fine point on the contrast by complimenting her colleagues in McKenzie. “My workplace is amazing. My Special Ed team is amazing, Megan [Wortham] and Jessica [Hochreiter]. Principal [Dorethea] Royle has been an amazing mentor.” She beamed that other special ed teams in the area come to observe the MMS classes. Brown and fellow MMS teacher Amanda Morris will be giving a presentation on co-teaching at the upcoming West Tennessee Special Education Conference in Memphis.

Brown’s passion for education only slightly overshadows her passion for athletics, particularly the two soccer teams she has coached to great success. In her tenure, the Lady Rebels have three district championships, one region championship and three state tournament appearances. The Rebels have earned two district championships, two region championships, three substate or sectional appearances and two state finalist appearances. Brown is a three-time district Coach of the Year.

Despite her successes, she acknowledges there is still work to be done.

“I tell my players, coaches and children, I want you to grow up loving people, no matter their race. Also, I know the world we live in. I’ve been judged. Parents have thought I was an assistant. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with being an assistant. I couldn’t do my job without them. I tell my students to respect them like they do me. But it’s about assumptions. We are not less than you.”