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Photo credit: Blue & White Flash
"I just have to be secure in myself and do my best,"
said Keisha Stokes of Jackson State University, who is
headed for Harvard Law School. |
By Anya Alexander and Rebecca Francis
Black College Wire
Shana Besley, a biology major at Howard University, developed
cancer twice and underwent three surgical operations in her
first two years there.
Keisha Stokes, valedictorian at Jackson State University,
hopes one day to be president of Jackson State or the first dean
of a proposed Jackson State University Law School. She plans to
continue her education at Harvard Law School.
Jason Hightower was the only male graduating senior in the
John H. Johnson School of Communications Annenberg Honors
Program at Howard. His senior thesis, "The Father Factor,"
focused on how single black men raise their daughters.
They were among the graduates at historically black colleges
and universities this year who overcame obstacles and excelled
academically.
Besley, from New York, was a full-time student, working two
jobs and taking care of her sister and herself during and after
her surgeries.
She found a way through that adversity with the help of an
understanding Howard staff and faculty and an encouraging
mother.
"Despite her health and financial situation, she managed to
keep on top of her academics and graduate on time with a 3.0
GPA," said Teresa Bush, secretary in the dean's office of
Howard's College of Arts and Sciences. "We just took to one
another and I saw a need," Bush said.
Besley said one achievement was being able to manage her life
through her difficulties.
"That, in itself, was a major accomplishment for me because
now I know the value of a dollar and that hard work truly pays
off," she said. "I have had a great learning experience at
Howard University."
Besley was an active member of the Circle K service,
leadership development and friendship organization, and the
Health Professionals Society.
"I love volunteering and giving back to the community," she
said. "I volunteer my help to students in D.C. because I love
helping and working with children."
Besley wants to become a pediatrician. She plans to work for
the National Institutes of Health for a year and move on to
medical school.
Stokes, a native of Jackson, Miss., who majored in history
education, is becoming a first-year law student at Harvard Law
School. She said she would one day like to work for the NAACP
Legal Defense Fund.
Stokes distinguished herself as a Presidential and Honors
College Scholar, and has made the President's List every
semester.
She holds membership in Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Alpha Theta, Alpha
Lambda Delta and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She scored in
the 85th percentile on the Law School Admissions Test and in the
95th percentile on the Praxis assessment tests used as part of
the teaching licensing certification process.
Stokes chose Harvard over such universities as Georgetown,
Yale and Texas Southern universities, where she was also
accepted.
“It is a national program and allows better mobility than a
regional law school like Ole Miss,” she stated.
The future lawyer graduated summa cum laude as class
valedictorian, compiling a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She
managed to graduate a year early by completing two semesters
during four summer school sessions.
“Jackson State has well prepared me for the future. I just
have to be secure in myself and do my best,” she said.
Hightower entered Howard's John H. Johnson School of
Communications Annenberg Honors Program as a sophomore long
interested in radio, television and film.
"My Howard experience was definitely a lot of fun," Hightower
said. "Howard is a place that provides you with all of the tools
-- hammer, nail and wood -- but it is up to you what you will
build with it."
Hightower joined the Howard University film organization,
Spotlight, and had an internship at the Hollywood studio
Focus Features. He was also a resident assistant in the Drew
Hall dormitory for three years.
He was complimented on his senior thesis on how single black
men raise their daughters.
"He did a wonderful piece on it: well-researched and showed
great skill as an up-and-coming film producer," said Vincent
Williams, Annenberg Honors Program coordinator. "Hightower
explored an area that most people overlook."
Hightower graduated magna cum laude and plans to participate
in a two-year Directors Guild of America training program in New
York.
Anya Alexander, a Howard University
student, writes for the Hilltop. Rebecca Francis, a Jackson
State University student, writes for the Blue & White Flash.
Posted May 29, 2006 |
