Series: “There’s Gotta Be a Pony”
Built to Believe: There’s Always a Pony, Always a Way!
“We still feel like 12-year-olds… we just get older.”
— Kris Menon
It’s a phrase Kris shares often with students when they get frustrated by the adults in their lives. And somehow, it always softens the room. She grew up as the oldest child in a hardworking family, raised with a survival mindset and a drive to figure things out. She’s always had a way of doing things her own way — headstrong, relentless, and determined. For Kris, no never meant no. It meant not yet. Even when she didn’t have the grades. Even when she didn’t come from that kind of family. She kept showing up.And somewhere along the way, mentors began showing up for her too — ones who said, “You can go to college. You can make something of yourself. You matter.”She carried those voices forward. Into her career. Into being a mom. And ultimately, into Ignite.In the prime of her corporate career — leading projects for clients like Starbucks and REI — a principal friend invited her to join the staff at AWSL Camp, a statewide student leadership experience. She didn’t plan on it. She had hated school. But she’d been a camp kid once, and something in her said: why not?
She packed up her husband and 5-year-old son… and went.
That week changed everything.
During an activity called “Cross the Line,” Kris stood quietly in the back and watched as students stepped forward in response to deeply personal prompts. She saw labels fall away. Tears flow. Connections form. And in that moment, she realized:
We are more alike than we are different.
That moment was the spark. Ignite became the fire.
A Legacy of Leadership
Over the last 25+ years, Kris has helped train over 1 million student mentors and partnered with 5,000 schools nationwide. She’s walked alongside students, staff, and school leaders — not just training them, but helping build systems that trust students to lead. To connect. To rise.
She doesn’t carry academic titles. It took her over four years to graduate from Gonzaga University. What she brings instead is a life PhD in grit, purpose, and possibility — earned through real work, real loss, and unwavering belief.
She’s known in classrooms and conference rooms as “Ms. Kris” — and to many, “Mama Kris.”
Her presence is felt the moment she walks in — full of warmth, conviction, and unstoppable belief in what students can become.
Her heart is as big as the movement. And her love for students? It’s steady, unconditional, and often hard to put into words.
Turning Loss into Mission
Five years ago, Kris lost her husband — her soulmate, the father of her five children, and co-founder of the Ignite movement. Many thought she would step back. Instead, she leaned in.
Ashoke Menon had helped open this door. Now, she carries that mission forward — for him, and for every student still wondering if they’re enough.
Their five children? All now serve in impact-driven careers:
- Two are educators (the oldest and youngest)
- Two serve in public health nonprofits
- One just completed residency as an interventional radiologist
“That’s the thing we’ve always been most proud of,” Kris shares. “They all choose to give back.”
The One Student Away Belief
Kris loves being the director, not the spotlight. You’ll often find her in the back of the room, watching for the moment a student mentor realizes: I am enough.
She believes every student is just one person away from knowing their purpose. And for over 25 years, she’s done everything in her power to be that person — and train others to be too.
“There’s gotta be a pony in there somewhere.”
It’s not just a saying. It’s her life’s lens.
Because the messiest moments often lead to the biggest breakthroughs.