These 10 Students Exude Black Excellence—Let’s Honor Them This New School Year
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Starting a new school year means facing new challenges head-on. Be inspired by these students who are lifting as they climb this year.
Jasmine Purdie for Kindred by Parents
Being a young person navigating the world through school, puberty, extracurricular activities, and more is a major feat. Add immense accomplishments and you’ve got a recipe for inspiration. From those who volunteer and serve their communities to students who have graduated early and are making strides in the real world, these ten scholars from across the country exude Black excellence.Dennis 'Maliq' Barnes of New Orleans, LACornell University student Dennis ‘Maliq’ Barnes of New Orleans closed out his senior year in high school with a whopping 210 college acceptance letters and more than $10 million in scholarships. The then 16-year-old chose to attend Cornell as a computer science and electrical computer engineering major and is slated to graduate in 2027. He uses his unique experience to support other young people.“I try to encourage [students] first to know what it is they want to do,” Barnes told the Cornell Daily Sun. “Know your limitations and know your strengths, [and] take those into consideration to use them to your advantage.”Yasmyne Wells of Baton Rouge, LAYasmyne Wells refers to herself as a farmette. The recent Southern University College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences graduate started Just Growing Here, a gardening platform to help others explore gardening. “[She wants] to assist those in food deserts [with information on] how to start and maintain gardens,” her mother, Lydia James-Wells, tells Kindred by Parents.Yasmyne has volunteered at a community garden in a food desert in Baton Rouge since high school. Armed with her B.S. in agricultural sciences and technology, she recently won a pitch competition that will allow her to purchase a greenhouse.Alejandro Buxton of Washington D.C.Alejandro Buxton founded Smell of Love Candles at nine years old at the top of the COVID-19 pandemic. He quickly became known as the kid who started making candles to buy books, save for his future college tuition, and help others. He’s since become an entrepreneurial phenom with respiratory-friendly candles, diffusers, incense, wax melts, room sprays, and soaps.The D.C. Metro area teen donates a portion of his monthly profits to charity and is also working to create a scholarship fund to help other college hopefuls. Alejandro hosts the Lessons from a Kidpreneur podcast, where he shares tips on candle making and business.Briah Glover of State College, PATwenty-four-year-old Penn State doctoral student Briah Glover grew up a “military brat,” moving eight times throughout her schooling. After her father was injured in the war in Afghanistan, Briah began volunteering at organizations that support youth who have lost military parents. At Penn State, she studies developmental psychology, furthering her research with a dissertation on intersections between racial and emotional socialization and how Black families teach their youth to cope with societal restrictions on emotional expression.“I think it’s important that voices of color are present in the academic space so that we can help bridge the gap between research and marginalized communities,” she tells Kindred by Parents.Ivan Jubilee of New Orleans, LAIvan Jubilee, Pharm.D., a recent graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana’s College of Pharmacy, discovered a love for research and clinical development while he was working toward becoming a pharmacist. As a student, he participated in a project analyzing sickle cell disease and breast cancer that helped him understand trial group disparities that may lead to skewed results. Jubilee presented at the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research conference in San Diego. “I make sure everything that I do can make the world a better place,” Jubilee said. Ayzjiahana Wood of UtahAyzjiahana Wood, the outgoing Miss Teen Volunteer America, graduated from high school at 17 years old as a dual enrollment student in medical studies at Weber State University. The former Miss Teen Utah USA volunteers at the National Humane Society and has served as Chapter Officer of HOSA Future Health Professionals of America. She was also named to the National Technical Honor Society and has been awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Nurse Assistant Program from Davis Technical College.Ryan Garner of Concord, NCSeventeen-year-old Ryan Garner, a rising senior at West Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina, is the youngest and first Black person to receive a private pilot license at Goose Creek Airport. According to WCNC Charlotte, Ryan wants to become a pilot at a major airline. “I have always loved [aviation] since I was a kid," he told the outlet.Janiya Baker of Miami-Dade, FLJaniya Baker made history in 2023 when she became the first student in Miami-Dade County history ever to skip two grades when she leaped from 9th to 12th grade by age 15. “I was ready to finish school,” she told WSVN 7 News Miami. During her quick high school career, she was the class president and a varsity cheerleader. She graduated in June with a 4.56 grade point average with a Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction, which is awarded to students who complete an academically rigorous course of study. She is set to attend Florida International University this fall on a full scholarship to study business.Dorian Hollingsworth Jr. of Norfolk, VADorian Hollingsworth Jr. knew the world needed a mental health program for teens when he learned of a fellow high school student’s suicide. Since then, the Old Dominion University student has invested in creating and supporting Teen Care Network as its founding executive director. He started the nonprofit shortly after graduating from his Norfolk, Virginia, high school with the goal of supporting teens with free mental health resources and breaking stigmas around such treatments.As a McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden fellow, Dorian told REVOLT, “I realized that there was a need for us to create some kind of organization, some kind of space that promoted healing in communities of color, that promoted breaking those stigmas around mental health and that supported students and schools and anyone in general going through mental health so that we can find the root cause of what's going on and be able to support them where it's needed.”Donte Jennings of Nolanville, TXFifteen-year-old Donte Jennings has found a way to use a mental health emergency as a means of supporting others. After a two-week hospital stay and while he was relearning communication skills, Donte and his family began volunteering at a nonprofit that supports Black men. Upon recovery, the Texas teen felt there was more work to be done, so he wrote a book—Don't Quit: This is Not the End. He told Harkers Heights Herald, “The book [is] a sign of not quitting and not giving up.” Resiliency, outstanding effort, and a culture of support are common traits among these ten students, and with each stride they all make, it appears they are holding doors open and breaking down barriers for the next student to follow in their footsteps. For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Parents.
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