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Excellence is in the DNA for twin sisters Llayna and Saniah Maul. According to WTXL-27, the sisters have been named valedictorian and salutatorian of Amos B. Godby High School Class of 2024 in Tallahassee, FL. “It’s just been both of us trying really hard at school,” valedictorian Llayna said, per the outlet. The accomplishments were driven by the sisters’ respect for education and their teachers. Llayna commented, “They’re dedicating their lives to be able to teach you. It’s worthwhile to just focus and pay attention and really put forth that effort to make them proud.” While the twins are set to walk the stage, they are already preparing for their journey ahead. They are currently enrolled in classes at Tallahassee Community College so they can have a head start on their studies in college. “I don’t work for the A or the high GPA, I work just so I can be the best I can be,” Saniah expressed , per WTXL-27. As for their motivation to continue striving for greatness, the sisters...
Ahmed Muhammad continues to level up. The Oakland teen who went viral after launching a science education business for kids has officially closed out his first year at Stanford with a 4.05 GPA. Previously, Muhammad touched the world when he became the first Black valedictorian to graduate from the Oakland Technical High School. What’s more, he credits his most recent success to the skills he learned throughout high school. “My classes at Stanford in terms of how I approached them weren’t too much different from what my teachers required of me in high school,” said the 19-year-old in an interview with KTVU. “I didn’t understand why they were expecting so much in high school, why they were tough on me, but now, come to college, I’m directly applying what they taught me.”
Da’Vion Tatum is making history as he heads to Harvard University! Tatum has not only made history as the first Black male valedictorian of his high school, but he has millions of dollars worth of scholarships and acceptances into 11 various colleges and universities to match. Now, he wants to use his story to inspire and encourage other young men. “My story specifically can help other young Black men to know that just because society may say one thing about you, or there may be a stigma or stereotype that surrounds being a Black man, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re confined to that , ” said Tatum in an interview with Fox 26 Houston earlier last month. Not only is he at Harvard, but the 18-year-old penned his very own autobiography, “Thriving In My Own Lane,” to further share all that it took for him to reach such a monumental milestone in his life. The Westfield High School graduate first began writing the book in eighth grade. “It was to show that regardless of what’s happening...
Oakland Technical High School was founded back in 1914. For the first time in the school’s 107-year- history, a young Black man has been named valedictorian. According to San Francisco Chronicle, 18-year-old high school senior Ahmed Muhammad will officially be named the top student of his class next month. Following that, he’ll be preparing to start his college career with 11 different acceptances to choose from, including Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton and Columbia. “It feels amazing. I’m grateful to be accepted to any single college, but 11 of them? I had never imagined this,” Muhammad told KTVU. He also told San Francisco Chronicle, “It’s an awesome feeling to know that all the hard work I put in and all the support and love I received paid off. It’s pretty cool I was named valedictorian.” While maintaining a 4.73 grade point average overall and a 5.0 so far during his senior year, Muhammad has juggled rigorous college courses, played on the varsity basketball team and...
Onovu Otitigbe-Dangerfield is Albany High School’s first Black valedictorian since 1868. And she’s making headlines all over the world for her feat. To fully understand the impact of Otitigbe-Dangerfield’s accomplishment, the school itself first opened on Sept. 7, 1868, as the Albany Free Academy. That means in the entirety of the school’s history, there has been no Black valedictorian until now. According to Face2Face Africa, Otitigbe-Dangerfield has a near-perfect GPA, is a member of the soccer team, the Select Choir, and the Jazz Improve Band where she plays violin and piano. She is also the President of the robotics team, President of the Key Club, and the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s online newspaper. Otitigbe-Dangerfield is also no stranger to the world of STEM. According to The Times-Union, she won her first engineering competition when she was just three-years-old. Her aunt and uncle are also trained engineers, and her mother, Jessica, enrolled her in “every science and...
This pair of Texas twins is proof that excellence is embedded in their DNA. Back in 2010, LaTonya and LaToya Harris graduated high school as valedictorian and salutatorian and they’re about to do it all over again! According to Because of Them We Can (BOTWC) , in December, the two will receive their second master’s in clinical nutrition and their doctorate degrees in chiropractic medicine. Plus, they’re finishing as valedictorian and salutatorian honors for the second time. Most twins opt out of following the same path, however, the Harris sisters have always stuck together, carving a two-way street of their own. Upon completing high school, the two continued their academic careers together, heading to the same college, sharing a dorm room, and ultimately receiving their bachelor’s and master’s in sports management from UT Austin before heading to Parker University. “We don’t recall a time when we haven’t like the same things,” said the twins in an interview with BOTWC . “Our...
Students all over the country have had to adjust to the new normal in addition to being uprooted from their respective schools and colleges mid-semester. Class of 2020 has especially endured their fair share of hardships over the last two months, but still, they persevered and crossed the finish line. As college graduates all over celebrate this exciting chapter of their lives, Princeton University’s Nicholas Johnson is celebrating a major accomplishment of his own. The university revealed Johnson made history for the class of 2020 and Princeton being named the school’s first Black valedictorian on April 27. Nicholas Johnson, an operations research and financial engineering concentrator from Montreal, has been named valedictorian of #Princeton20 . Congratulations, Nicholas! 👏 pic.twitter.com/pS11ep2rWZ — Princeton University (@Princeton) April 27, 2020 The operations research and financial engineering major is also the first valedictorian in his department’s 21-year history,...
Like many people, Ayesha Curry doesn’t handle setbacks well — but she doesn’t dwell on them either. In an interview on Inc. “From the Ground Up” podcast with Executive Editor Diana Ransom and Editor Christine Lagorio-Chafkin, the businesswoman, chef, and restaurateur said she gives herself 24 hours to feel the emotions — anger, sadness, confusion — before moving on. “But I’m never going to suppress. It’s not my thing,” Curry said. “I’m going to let it out and feel my feelings and then move on.” Curry’s mindset has been a game-changer for her mental health and a key factor in her entrepreneurial success, Essentially Sports reported . In 2023, the United States had 33.2 million small businesses, which account for 99.9% of all companies in the country, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. As a successful entrepreneur, Curry’s ventures exemplify the resilience and drive required in this space. As previously highlighted by AFROTECH™ , Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA star Steph...
Since 1908, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and its members have made their marks across several industries and impacted communities and spaces. Some influential members include Phylicia Rashad, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to ESSENCE. Harris was officially sworn in as vice president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2021, making her the first woman, Black person, and South Asian American to be elected to the office. While this historical marker is noteworthy, it was not the beginning of her story. Kamala Harris’ Road To Howard University A native of Oakland, CA, Harris’ roots in education and public service start with the influence of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan. According to a profile from the White House, Gopalan earned her doctorate in 1964, the same year Harris was born, and worked as a breast cancer scientist. Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, came to the United States from Jamaica to study...
Ariane Kirkpatrick was undeterred by the limited presence of Black entrepreneurs in the cannabis sector. In 2017, she made her official foray into the space, according to WKCY-3. “We made the decision that we, despite the barriers, despite the obstacles, despite being Black and female, we were going to make this work and we did,” Kirkpatrick told the outlet. Per Kirkpatrick’s LinkedIn page, she served as the CEO of several large-scale medical, cannabis cultivation, and dispensary companies, such as Harvest Grows, Harvest of Ohio, and Harvest Processing, which had operations in the Ohio cities of Ironton, Beavercreek, Columbus, and Athens. She mentioned that her aim was to transform lives and strengthen economies by providing jobs and economic development opportunities through marijuana. However, Kirkpatrick would hit a major roadblock after falling out with her business partner, multi-state operator Harvest Health and Recreation, when it was acquired by national cannabis and...