intro/ Kendrick Estes

I met Kendrick long before he was born.

I know it’s impossible to meet someone before they are born, but I know the two people responsible for who Kendrick has become and who he’s become doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.

More than 25 years ago, I was introduced to his newlywed parents, Shannon and Kris Estes. I had just started the triathlon chapter of my story, and they were part of the NAU Triathlon team, showing me ropes.

Kris was on a kamikaze mission to qualify and then compete at Ironman Hawaii, and Shannon was the nicest, funnest, best-looking girl on any of the bus rides we took to races. The three of us hit it off and have been friends ever since.

Kris describes his second-born son as “fearless, determined, strong and yet always kind and considerate,” which is exactly how I would describe Kris.

Shannon described Kendrick as caring, loving to laugh, and with a “very sincere personality who others enjoy being around.” This is the lasting impression I got from Shannon from the moment I met her. And it describes the caring physical therapist I currently work with at Northern Arizona Healthcare.

Before I started Kendrick’s Senior Story, I would say I knew him.

“His parents and I go way back,” I’d say in a second to anyone who asked.

And even though he’s been in front of my camera multiple times – from family photoshoots, team sports and his senior photos – until I sat down with all the interviews, I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.

I realized I only really knew of him.

I knew what I thought I knew based on pleasantries and interactions. I made assumptions based on how he acted and who his parents were.

But it wasn’t until I sat down with the words from nine of his closest people that I really got to know him.

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

I argue the people closest are also the ones who know us the best.

These are the ones who have consistent interaction and observations. They’re exposed to different facets of our personality. They have a deep relationship, sharing personal thoughts, feelings, experiences and core values. They observe behavioral patterns. They have an emotional bond and trust. They have contextual understanding. These five people see us in various personal, professional, social, and possibly familial settings. This wide-ranging exposure provides a more nuanced understanding of our personality.

I took the nine interviews from the closest people to him, including one from Kendrick himself, and I laid them on top of each other to create the story you see on these pages.

And while there is page after page of what Kendrick has looked like over the years, the words in his story show who he is when no one is looking.

Math question: If a photo is worth 1,000 words and there are 227 photos in this magazine, how many words does that represent?

Answer: That’s a lot of words.

Yet, with more than 200,000 ‘words’ represented in these images combined, they can’t begin to describe who he is - beyond what he looks like.

From the photos, you could deduce that he likes tennis, Frisbee golf and that he is into outdoor adventures. You might even say he looks like someone full of life and someone who would go ‘full send.’ But you couldn’t tell he is terrible at art; he yells when he sneezes; he takes too long to eat; that his Nana and Tata are two of his biggest influences, and that he admires people who are happy as themselves and who don’t need external validation.

By looking at any of these photos, you couldn’t tell he dislikes people who walk too slowly, and yet he’s one of the most caring, compassionate, loyal people you’ll ever meet. He’s as goofy as he is smart. He’s as adventurous as he is methodical.

Over the years, I’ve captured what Kendrick looked like. I’m grateful to have finally captured who he is and how he got here. I can’t wait to see where his story goes next.