Top high school seniors

Ebony, July, 1994 by Lisa C. Jones

Although they are rarely heard or hailed in the media, young, gifted and Black students who have bypassed the dangers of drugs, gangs and violence are emerging from the nation's classrooms as brilliant, inspiring stars.

Determined to be among the astronauts, neurosurgeons, engineers and corporate attorneys of tomorrow, the 25 high school seniors featured on these pages are a representative sampling of African-American students who demonstrate daily that outstanding scholarship coupled with a genuine concern for the community can make for positive change.

These young scholars, many of whom have near-perfect grade point averages, were recommended by school boards and high school administrators and were selected on the basis of academic excellence, community involvement and overall leadership potential.

Invariably, hard work paid off for these stellar students, some of whom are National Merit Scholarship finalists and National Honor Society members. Some are listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students and have distinguished themselves in mathematics, the arts and the sciences.

One student is a part-time actress. Another is a poet who once had President Clinton among her captive audience. One young man scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. Several of these young people have perfect attendance records, hold influential school offices and have successfully completed college preparatory course work.

Like their accomplishments, their aspirations are substantial. One student aspires to become the chief executive officer of a major corporation, while another hopes to establish his own contracting company. All share a desire to make a difference in the world and their individual communities.

Many of the 1994 high school honorees volunteer time at local food banks, lend helping hands to the elderly and the disabled and serve as youth organizers at local churches. They also lobby for gun control, debate world issues and work closely with local and state governments to curb crime in their neighborhoods.

And this fall, after amassing thousands of scholarship dollars between them, these young achievers are set to attend major historically Black and historically White colleges and universities.

New York scholar Jackson Gustave (left) ranks No.1 at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School. An aspiring engineer, he has received honors for perfect attendance and outstanding achievements in bilingual education and mathematics.

Talented Adree Ross (right) boasts a 3.9 GPA at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, where she is a member of the school's honor society and girls basketball team. The part-time actress, who appeared in the blockbuster film The Bodyguard, plans to study nursing and biology at Hampton University.

Graduating senior Tracy Hughes of Harvey, Ill. (left), is valedictorian at Thornton Township High School. Last fall, the 1994 state oratory champion spoke to national legislators on behalf of a student petition on gun control. The peer leadership president will study agriculture at Lincoln University (Mo.) this fall.

Houston's Charlie Whittaker (above) wants to own a contracting company one day. The Jones High School senior who is captain of the baseball team, also serves as a junior docent at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He plans to major in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has received a full scholarship.

Scientific-minded Patrice Bell (left) maintains a 4.2 GPA at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta. The 1994 grand-prize winner of the citywide senior physical science contest wants to be an environmental chemist.

Scholar athlete Eddie Ray Clayton III (right) of Milwaukee is captain of varsity football, basketball and track at North Division High School. The valedictorian has his sights set on becoming a corporate attorney.

With a 3.9 GPA, Vanessa Reese (below) is valedictorian at Boston Latin Academy in Boston. A student tutor, tour guide for disabled children and a member of INROADS, the Harvard-bound student plans to major in business and dreams of becoming a CEO of a major corporation.

Future engineer William F. Parrish (above, left) has a 4.6 GPA as valedictorian at Cleveland's John Adams High School. A National Merit finalist and intern at Ford Motor Co., he splits his time between academics and volunteer work at a local blood bank. Parrish will enter Howard University on full scholarship.

Detroit's Jenel M. Steele (above, right) is salutatorian at Cass Technical High School. Actively involved with her church, several sports teams and the premed club, the aspiring neurosurgeon also serves as a research apprentice at Wayne State University. She will attend Johns Hopkins University on a full ROTC scholarship.

Student government vice president Tamiko C. Neely (left) holds a 4.23 GPA at Lincoln High School in San Diego, where she is yearbook editor and a member of the French club, the state honor society and Future Educators of America. A Stanford Book Award recipient, Neely plans to attend Howard University and eventually obtain a doctorate in African-American education.