For most people, archery is a quiet sport — one that requires patience, focus and precision. For Mercer Law alumna Kristen Quinton, ’04, archery is something more: a way to change young lives in Bibb County.
“Through my work in the criminal justice system, I’ve seen so many young people facing incarceration or the aftermath of street violence,” she said. “I wanted to create a place where kids could feel safe, supported and celebrated — a place where they could belong.”
That vision became reality in 2022 with the creation of the Bibb County 4-H archery program, a free and inclusive youth sports program Quinton founded through University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. In just three years, the program has grown from seven participants to more than 20 competitors in the 2025 Georgia 4-H Indoor Archery Competition, including one middle schooler who placed seventh in the state.
But this story begins long before arrows ever took flight.
Raised in Forest Park as one of five children to a single mother, Quinton overcame poverty and instability through academics and sports.
“Athletics gave me focus and a sense of worth,” she said. “My coaches and teachers were the first people who made me feel I had potential.”
After becoming the first in her family to graduate high school, she attended North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia) to play basketball and softball. When financial and personal struggles forced her to leave school, she found herself without housing — relying on kindness of friends for a bed but at times sleeping in her car. She began working odd jobs in pizza parlors, warehouses and production plants.
“I know what it means to feel like the world doesn’t have a place for you,” she said. “That’s why I’m determined to make sure these kids know they have one.”
Quinton eventually returned to college and graduated with honors from Georgia College & State University, later earning recognition as an Alumna of Distinction. A career as a victims’ advocate at the Baldwin County Courthouse sparked her interest in the law — and with the encouragement of judges and attorneys, she enrolled at Mercer Law School in 2001.
At Mercer, she served as president of the Association of Women Law Students, secretary and treasurer of the Mercer Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Student Bar Association committee for minority and diversity awareness.
“Mercer Law taught me that being a lawyer is about more than arguing in court — it’s about using your skills to serve your community,” she said.
After graduating in 2004, Quinton became one of the first wave of attorneys in Georgia’s newly formed Public Defender Standards Council, later returning as a supervising attorney to train young lawyers. Today, she serves as a staff attorney in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia, where she supports judges in civil litigation involving prisoners and detainees.
Despite her demanding legal career, Quinton never stopped serving outside the courtroom. Over the years, she’s volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Centenary Community Ministries, Wills for Heroes and Georgia High School Mock Trial. Her longest-standing commitment has been with Bibb County 4-H, where she’s mentored students for more than a decade.
Her inspiration to start the archery program came naturally. Learning to shoot rifles and pistols while at North Georgia College, she found focus and calm through shooting sports and wanted to share that with local youth. Using a small inheritance from her late brother, she bought the first bows, arrows and safety equipment to get the Bibb County 4H archery program off the ground.
In 2021, Quinton became a certified archery coach through the University of Georgia’s SAFE Shooting Sports Program and began visiting local schools to introduce students to the sport.
“We reached hundreds of kids in those first presentations,” she said. “Many of them had never held a bow before.”
By fall 2022, the first practices began. Since then, the program has secured national grant funding, expanded its equipment, and now welcomes archers from fourth through 12th grade, regardless of financial circumstances.
“We have an incredible mix of kids,” she said. “They come from all different backgrounds, but on the range, they cheer for each other. They see each other succeed.”
The program embodies the four H’s of 4-H — head, heart, hands and health. Quinton said those values align closely with the Mercer Law ethos.
“It’s about developing strong minds, generous hearts, capable hands and a sense of balance,” she said. “It’s the same kind of holistic formation Mercer Law instills in its students.”
Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. In February 2025, she was honored at the Georgia State Capitol as the Georgia 4-H Volunteer of the Year for her leadership in youth programs, including Law Day events that connect students with judges, prosecutors and law enforcement.
That same commitment to service helped spark a partnership this fall with Roberts Academy at Mercer University, a school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia. Quinton and her 4-H team hosted an introductory archery lesson and fun shoot for fourth through sixth graders. The event brought together Mercer faculty, students and young archers in a shared spirit of learning.
“Archery has been a great addition to the health and P.E. program at Roberts Academy,” said Dr. Adam Keath, the physical education teacher at Roberts Academy and assistant professor in Mercer’s Tift College of Education. “Thanks to Kristen and the 4-H program, our students now have access to both the equipment and expertise needed to learn the sport in a meaningful way.”
Dr. Keath said the partnership reflects a broader goal of building lifelong fitness and wellness habits.
“One of the biggest benefits of archery — or any sport — is giving students a skill they can carry forward,” he said. “This collaboration not only teaches fundamentals in class but connects students to a clear pathway through 4-H that keeps them active and engaged long term.”
He said the experience has also enriched Mercer’s educator preparation programs.
“Kristen has been an exceptional partner,” he said. “She’s volunteered her time not only to support Roberts Academy but also to introduce the sport to our preservice teachers in Mercer’s health and P.E. program. Her passion and ability to recruit others have strengthened both Roberts’ and Mercer’s programs.”
For Quinton, the Roberts Academy event felt deeply personal.
“That day brought everything full circle,” she said. “I was once a kid who needed someone to believe in me — and now I get to help Mercer and 4-H create those same opportunities for others.”
This fall, the Bibb County 4-H archery team will move from its outdoor range at the Cooperative Extension office to an indoor facility at Carolyn Crayton Park, thanks to a partnership with Macon-Bibb County Parks and Recreation.
From the courtroom to the archery field, Kristen Quinton continues to aim true — focused not just on justice but on giving the next generation a target worth striving for.
