Amaya Coleman Class of 2022
Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo by Satila Ali.
Collegiate is a school that cultivates young minds so that they can become outstanding scholars and critical thinkers.Our students go on to excel in life after high school due to the opportunities they are given here. Amaya Coleman is a perfect example of this in action. I had the opportunity to chat with her about her college experience, career goals and time at Collegiate.
Aneara: What college do you attend and what is your major?
Amaya: I attend West Chester University and my major is in criminal justice with a minor in public health.
Aneara: What has your college experience been like so far?
Amaya: My college experience has been very goal-oriented and driven by the community. I am a part of three clubs, one being EK, which is about empowering communities around you, Percease, which is a modeling organization and the gospel ministry choir where I sing.
Aneara: Have you had any struggles or adversities so far in your college experience?
Amaya: My social life has definitely changed. In high school I was very popular, but now I’m more of a loner. I now understand what I want from a friendship. More seriously,
I want to build foundations to have genuine connections as well as to meet people who want to spark my fire, make me better, and motivate each other. So because I don't want to settle for mediocre friendships, I feel like it's been harder to navigate and meet genuine people. I feel like being patient will help me find my people. I feel like I can meet genuine people because I'm not rushing.
Aneara: What are your career aspirations so far?
Amaya: Right now I’m a sophomore, but I'm classified as a junior because I had a lot of AP credits coming out of high school. I plan to use my fourth year to get my master's and join the fast track program at my university. I plan to graduate with my master's in criminal justice and public health. After graduation, I want to potentially go to law school and kind of dive deep into the public health field because I feel like I can be an advocate for public health and still pursue my ambitions to become a lawyer as well.
Aneara: Do you feel as though Friendship Collegiate prepared you enough for college?
Amaya: Collegiate prepared me as far as knowing what to expect and it taught me what qualities I need when becoming an adult. They taught me that you have to carry yourself a certain way, that your demeanor needs to be a certain way, and that you have to dress and present yourself in a certain way to others. But, I don't really feel like they prepared me for the college experience. We learned time management, of course, and that you show up for school on time and you know, you have to hold yourself accountable for certain things. However when it comes to the social aspect of college you aren’t really taught how to read a room. In high school, I was that person who everybody gravitated to and embraced. I didn’t have to go out of my way to make friends. Now in college, I have to sit down and talk to people, and work for relationships.
Aneara: What is one lesson that Collegiate taught you for life after high school?
Amaya: One thing high school taught me is that the sky's the limit. There's really nothing that I'm not able to do. I am my own hindrance and my own blockage. I feel like I know that I can achieve so much and do so much because of the encouragement, the motivation and just the fire that people like Mr. Young and Peggy Jones, saw in me. They didn't give up on me, and they didn't allow me to give up on myself. I feel like since leaving Friendship, I've become so much more confident in who I am and what I can bring to the table. I know my qualities and I also know my weaknesses, but I also know that I'm at the best point in my life right now where I can just really use my experiences to educate and help people just be better versions of themselves. I'm glad that I get to be that person that I didn't have for myself to others.
Aneara: What advice would you give to the Class of 2024?
Amaya: As you are looking into colleges, make sure you do your research. School is more than just an idea, or what a school’s mascot is. The decision is deeper than that, and you have to understand that everything costs money and that you want to be in an environment where you feel embraced and welcomed. My pathway was to join a predominantly white institution because I always felt like I was kind of stereotyped as a girl that's black, but talks white. So when making my college decision, I had to understand that while a historically black college and university looks cool and would be easier for me to fit into, I wanted a more multicultural college that fit me.
Alumni Editor Aneara Burns is a junior at Arizona State University and a 2020 graduate of Friendship Collegiate Academy.