Top Black High School Seniors

Ebony, July, 2000

The future of any people can be measured by the ability of its youth. You need only consider the achievements of the top Black seniors in the Class of 2000 to know we're in good hands. The 40 scholars featured on the following pages have blended academics with athletics, talent with tenacity, vision with vigilance to land spots at the nation's best colleges and universities.

Not content with excelling academically, these students are leaders, juggling the rigors of course work with the call of the community. We trumpet the beginning of their journey, and ours, into greatness.

Jasmine M. Gipson, an Illinois State student/athlete, ranked in the top 5 percent of her class at Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago. Some of the future electrical engineer's work has been published in the Materials Science and Engineering Journal. She plans to attend Dartmouth College.

Kevin M. Hall, valedictorian of Cincinnati's St. Rita School for the Deaf, was named Player of the Year by the National Minority Golf Foundation and also named male athlete of the year by the USA Deaf Federation. The scholar/athlete wants to compete on one of the professional golf tours and earn a degree from Ohio State University.

Khala Briana Woodruff was valedictorian of her class at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta. She was yearbook editor, a member of the National Honor Society and counted a Harvard Book Award among her honors. This future doctor plans to attend Spelman.

Katrina Brackens was valedictorian of Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Dallas. She was president of the senior class and participated in leadership activities such as the youth advisory council, Dallas teen school board and youth leadership of Dallas. She plans to he a computer programmer.

Camille Hearst ranked in the top 15 percent of her class at Lowell High School in San Francisco. She is a scholar/athlete who was city champion in '98-'99 for the 300m hurdles and was a mentor for middle school girls. Hearst, who wants to study "the unknown," plans to attend Stanford.

Ronald L. Perry, an outstanding student at Detroit's Samuel C. Mumford High School, is a member of the National Honor Society and earned recognition in Who's Who Among American High School Students. He plans to become a surgeon.

Alliah D. Agostini, who ranked in the top 10 percent of her class at City Honors School in Buffalo, N.Y., was a National Achievement finalist, Advanced Placement Scholar and received a Bausch & Lomb Science Award. Agostini, who educates peers about HIV/AIDS, will attend Harvard.

Jeffrey D. Tate, a top graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., was valedictorian and senior class president. Along with academic honors, Tate received accolades for the arts, including traveling worldwide as a student ambassador for the show choir. He will attend Morehouse College.

Kasetta Coleman (not shown), a National Achievement and Venture's Scholar, graduated second in her class at Philadelphia's High School for Girls. She plans to become an aerospace engineer for NASA.

Editor's note: Coleman's photograph was lost during transport and was not available to be included in this article. We have arranged another photo shoot, and she will appear in next month's issue.

Joy Lynn Fuller, valedictorian of Greenville High School of Academic Excellence in South Carolina, was captain of the math team, secretary of the National Honor Society and a member of the speech and debate teams. The Spanish enthusiast will attend Agnes Scott College.

Ellery Lewis Horton was valedictorian of Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, Va. He was editor of the high school literary magazine, a member of the Model UN and volunteer at Lake Taylor Hospital. He will attend Carnegie Mellon University.

Yaw Danso was valedictorian of Weequahic High School in Newark, N.J. He was a member of the Scholars Club and the math Olympic team, and volunteered at a day-care center. Danso will attend the New Jersey Institute of Technology and major in civil engineering.

Andrea Nicole Curry was valedictorian of Hillcrest High School in Memphis, Tenn. She was president of the National Honor Society and Student Council. Curry, who is recognized in Who's Who Among American High School Students, plans to be an optometrist.

Angela Irwin, valedictorian of Morgan Park High School in Chicago, was the recipient of a Harvard Book Award, Xerox Award and was named a Chicago scholar. She participated in many campus activities, including cheerleading and peer mentoring. The dance enthusiast plans to become a stockbroker.

Rickla Hamilton, an aspiring high school teacher, graduated from Castlemont Senior High School in Oakland, Calif., where she maintained a 3.5 GPA. The scholar/athlete has a full athletic scholarship to Xavier University. Her awards include Who's Who Among American High School Students and the National English Merit Award.

Carla N. Rosser was valedictorian of Bailey Magnet High School in Jackson, Miss. She won a Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award and a scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy. She will attend Bowdoin College with the goal of becoming a research scientist.