Ashanti

“Ashanti is a catch for the university lucky enough to have her,” Ashanti’s history teacher wrote.

Her guidance counselor enthusiastically agrees. “While some students may just sit back and do the minimum required of them, this is not the case with Ashanti,” he wrote, describing her as “confident and self-assured,” with strong opinions that lead to “lively classroom debates and further the classroom’s learning environment.” 

This is high praise for, and deep faith in a student who in her junior year struggled. She assumed that her dreams of going to college had been dashed after a particularly difficult algebra class. But at some point, another of Ashanti’s traits kicked in: resilience.

“I learned that failure isn’t final,” she wrote in her application. “In my journey to become a better version of myself I remembered what I wrote in my journal after Hurricane Ida flooded my home: ‘I will try again, even if I shall fail or fall. I will continue on and on, again and again because I refuse to be left in a position where I'm not happy. I refuse to not have everything I long for.’” She said she reminded herself that since she “got this far while working two jobs and challenging myself with college classes while in high school, this couldn’t possibly break me. I am so much more than a grade. I am a creative, dedicated young woman, more than worthy despite my mistakes.” Ashanti is interested in studying the sciences and literature in college.

Ms. Moore made the biggest impact in my life by supporting me throughout all my struggles by being my friend as well as my mentor, someone that I know I could count on.