Kathleen Kennedy

“I’ve always said that life is a collection of experiences, good and bad,” says Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. “And the more you can have, the better.” For the 24-year-old New York–born granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, those experiences have included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to attend an environmental-issues summit and campaigning to raise awareness of the global clean-water crisis. The Stanford University graduate and recent Los Angeles transplant is also pursuing acting, which she has loved since she started visiting movie sets as a child with longtime pal Annie Starke, the daughter of Glenn Close. “It’s a fun way to explore the things that really mystify me,” says Kennedy, who has a small role in the pilot of Aaron Sorkin’s hotly anticipated new HBO series The Newsroom. Aside from reading scripts and auditioning, Kennedy is also writing an etiquette guide for “smart chicks who like adventure” with her close friend Augusta King Tigrett. “We want to create this collection of advice, about everything from traveling across South America on a budget to choosing the right organic foods and dating a musician,” she explains, describing the book as “Emily Post meets Indiana Jones.” But none of that gets in the way of Kennedy’s activism. “Having grown up in a family dedicated to public service, it was ingrained in me that we have to give back,” she says. “I find that I’m inspired by my ancestors, not pressured by them. I like go-getters.”

PHOTO: KICK KENNEDY IN LOS ANGELES, MARCH 2012. COAT AND TOP: MARC JACOBS. COSMETICS: M.A.C COSMETICS, INCLUDING LIQUID EYE LINER IN BOOT BLACK AND MINERALIZE SKIN FINISH IN LIGHTSCAPADE. HAIR PRODUCTS: BUMBLE AND BUMBLE, INCLUDING GELLAC. STYLING: VANESSA CHOW. HAIR: TERRY MILLET FOR LEONOR GREYL/THE MAGNET AGENCY. MAKEUP: JO STRETTELL FOR SENSAI/THE MAGNET AGENCY. SPECIAL THANKS: THE CHARLIE HOTEL.