The first African American on the UNC women’s soccer team and the city of Gastonia’s first female battalion chief, Kearney will be celebrated this month as a Tar Heel Trailblazer, which recognizes former Black student-athletes who paved the way for success in all aspects of the student-athlete experience.
Kearney and fellow 2022 Tar Heel Trailblazer Reggie McAfee will be honored during the Carolina-Florida State men’s basketball game on February 12.
“I’m incredibly honored to be a Tar Heel Trailblazer,” Kearney said. “Our family has been Tar Heel fans since the early 70s [after moving to North Carolina from Chicago]. I always knew that’s where I wanted to go to school. To be honored by the school in this way touches me in such a way that I can’t even begin to describe.”
Kearney is the second member of her family to receive this mark of distinction, joining her youngest brother, the late Stuart Scott, as the first set of siblings to be named Tar Heel Trailblazers.
“I see why he was honored,” she said. “I never thought of myself on the same plane as what he accomplished. The fact that I get to share this honor with my brother, who is not here anymore, means a lot to me and my family.”
Kearney was part of the Tar Heels’ first two women’s soccer national championship teams in 1981 and 1982. She scored the game-winning goal in the 1982 NCAA semifinal victory over Missouri-St. Louis to send UNC into the national championship match.
“Synthia was a part of a fantastic collection of gritty pioneers,” UNC Head Women’s Soccer Coach Anson Dorrance said. “Back in those days no one complained about anything. I think it was before anyone knew the definition of the word ‘entitlement’.
“She was athletic, competitive, and fit in perfectly with those early teams. And thanks to her brother, we got some early shout outs that were very rare for women’s collegiate soccer. I loved having her on our roster.”
Kearney was involved in other campus activities, having pledged with the Theta Pi Chapter of Alpha Kapp Alpha Sorority her junior year.
“I loved being a student-athlete,” Kearney said. “Chapel Hill was a wonderful place to learn how to become an adult. It taught me skills like time management and commitment. It was a whole different way to be invested in the school.”
After college she became a special agent with the United States Secret Service for four years before transferring to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF).
Following the birth of her second daughter, Kearney decided to be a stay-at-home mom for three years and then choose to pursue her dream of being a firefighter.
“As a teenager I saw the show Emergency on TV and decided I wanted to be a firefighter,” she explained. “My mother talked me out of then and I went to college. That was the only thing I had ever known that I wanted to be, so I decided to go for it at age 35.”
In 2006 she posted the top score on the fire captain exam and became the Gastonia Fire Department’s first female fire captain. Six years later she broke through another barrier and was named the department’s first female battalion chief.
“Captains have a lot of responsibility, captains are responsible for their crew,” Kearney said. “My first crew had a family atmosphere. We would train together and do things together outside of work, so it was a good place to be.
“Then I moved to special ops and there was some pushback initially. There are only so many captain’s positions that will become available and fewer battalion chief positions. I don’t think any of the guys that I was competing against ever thought about a woman being in that position. Never having had a woman as captain was an adjustment.”
Kearney takes the responsibility of being female firefighter seriously and doesn’t tread lightly when it comes to empowering young women.
“One of the things I like about being a female in this position is being an example,” she said. “Just my presence is important in society for people to know that you can do whatever you dream. Often people feel more comfortable if they see themselves reflected.
“I didn’t set out to be a role model. I’m just living my life, but if living my life inspires someone I’m honored.”