Deja Daniel,
Westlake High School Class of 2020 Senior Graduate
Deja graduated in the Top 2% of her state with a Georgia Certificate of Merit designation. She was awarded the top honor from Westlake High School for Magnet Students selected by an independent review council. She served as SGA Vice President for the entire student body. Deja was also Captain of the Varsity Cheer Team and a Cheerleading All American as voted on by the Universal Cheerleading Association. Additionally, she was recognized by multiple local and national news media outlets for being a part of the famed Westlake Top 25. Further, Deja maintained over a 4.0 GPA which afforded her the opportunity to accumulate enough college acceptances where she received the highest earner of her class, selected to the prestigious Million Dollar Club. Regionally, Deja was awarded the Atlanta Bar Association internship, interning at the District Attorney’s Office. Moreover, she is a reigning Homecoming Queen and Cotillion Debutante Winner. For extracurriculars, Deja has also played on the nationally ranked Westlake Girls’ Basketball Team and ran track. She was included on the list of High School Heisman nominees. In addition, she likes singing in the Georgia Advanced Honors Chorus and was accepted into the Teen Artist Academy. In her spare time, she listens to Beyoncé and enjoys volunteering to causes that help the less fortunate. (Four Year Letterman).
Current Whereabouts:
I am currently into praying, spending quality time with family, being on the phone with my friends, doing my own hair, using my face as a canvass for make-up, styling myself with unique outfits, playing with my younger cousins, uplifting my community through community service, watching YouTube videos, exercising, reading, singing, dancing, binge-watching television series, especially older black sitcoms like A Different World and Moesha and Marvel and DC Comics.
Life & Professional Aspirations:
Law has always been a passion of mine. From watching “Law and Order” to “How to Get Away with Murder,” it seems I was born with a fascination of being an attorney and starting my own Law Firm. Law is swift and it can be unforgiving, but in the right hands, it can be oh so powerful when applied with care and perspective.
My education is currently on track as a first semester freshman at the Presidential Howard University who graduated high school at the top of her class. My career goals in my current field of study is to matriculate through undergrad obtaining a Bachelor’s in Criminology and then attend Law School. Upon finishing Law School with my Juris Doctorate, I plan to pass the Law Exam (the State Bar). After that, my career goals are to work for a Law Firm to establish a successful trial record defending those who have been wrongly prosecuted because they are a systemically vulnerable group. Once established as a best-in-class lawyer in my field, my goal is to ascend upwards on the hierarchy of corporate leadership becoming a Partner of the Law Firm.
After years of diligent service as an attorney, my ultimate goal is to be appointed as a judge to uphold the laws of the land in a way that benefits all while exercising judicial sensitivity to the many prejudices of our legal system. Therefore, receiving the Fall 2020 HBCU Connect Scholarship would be beneficial not just for me, but for the greater good; and more specifically, it would be a welcome source of support for my single father who is raising me and brother alone.
Being a judge has always been the ultimate career destination. You are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty; however, that is not the case for every defendant. Take the Scottsboro Boys and the Exonerated Five. These young men were robbed of their childhood because the justice system judged the color of their skin, and not the overwhelming preponderance of reasonable doubt and irrefutable evidence. I aspire to be in a position where I can level the playing field for innocent defendants to not be jailed unlawfully for offenses they did not commit and suffer a lifetime of punishment unjustly.
My passion to defend people who cannot defend themselves was sparked from watching the movie, The Hurricane and noticing how unfair the justice system is towards people of color. A young African-American boxer was accused and convicted of murder based on no substantial evidence, only the fact that he “fit the description” (an aggressive-looking black male) so he served time for someone else’s crime; yet, did not receive justice until years later when his reputation had already been destroyed and career had plummeted. This type of phenomena is not uncommon to the everyday life of African Americans. This is part of the journey. With me being put into a position to just be fair, I know that the legal system will eventually provide justice for all.
I am still living out my “Claim to Fame” in college; however, an initiative that I developed as a Howard University Student Association Senate: Constitutional Review Committee freshman intern is known as the 1619 Day of Celebration inspired by the 1619 Project. I have proposed legislation to recognize August 20,1619, as a holiday for Howard University. This is the day akin to what we, as Americans commemorate on July 4 (Independence Day). However, for my 1619 Initiative this holiday will be more in the tradition of culturally celebratory holidays such as Cinco De Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, etc., but catered to Black Americans. This will be a day of acknowledgement for the day that 20 enslaved Africans were shipped to America to be bought into slavery. So celebratory is probably too happy of a word to use for how this day would be recognized. Although a day of mourning is not the intent, I believe a day of remembrance like Memorial Day would be more appropriate. It is through this 1619 Initiative that we can remember the great depths that Black people in history went through to build this country from the ground up and make it what it is today. In essence, the 1619 Initiative can reclaim Black American ancestry traced back to our African roots to describe what contributions we had to American society. Learning about our past as the original enslaved 20 and how that greatly benefitted the United States economically, socially, politically, culturally and systemically, would serve as a day of pride, service and education. It is look backs in time like this that fortifies who we are today and shows the world that even out of great struggle, great things can be accomplished.
Most Memorable Moment:
My most memorable college moment thus far was joining an organization dedicated to community service and sisterhood. As a freshman matriculating through college online, I was blessed to forge a great bond over Zoom with a group of people who cherished enriching and serving their community like I am. Though having to begin college online is not what I expected, I am glad that I am making the most out of it by being involved on campus and building networks with people so that I when I am on campus, I already have an understanding of what practical college life is like and have a strong network of like-minded peers.
High School: Westlake High School in Atlanta, GA
class of 2020
Activities & Accomplishments:
• Spotlighted on a billboard across Atlanta for graduation recognition as a Top 25 Scholar out of 500 graduating seniors at Westlake High School
• Recognized as the Senior with the Highest Achieving
Best Memories:
My best high school memories were in Chorus. We are truly a choir family in the Westlake High School Chorus who are free to sing anything which is what I love. Since my freshman year, I was welcomed into this dynamic family of singers who I grew to love beyond measures. We did community service together, went on trips together, were in plays together, ate dinner together and so much more that my choir family is like my home away from home. Me and my chorus teacher developed such a great, genuine bond over me eating lunch in her office daily my freshman year along with some of my choir friends, that I considered her to be my school mom. I forged my first friendship at my new school, in my new city, in my new state through chorus so if it were not for chorus, then I would not have my best friend who I have today. Additionally, some of my other best high school memories were homecoming weeks because I looked forward to performing in the pep rallies as a cheerleader and dressing up in a fun, hilarious way. I do not have those dress up days in college so that is something that I really cherished and took advantage of in high school. Furthermore, I looked forward to going to classes with my friends who would put on a concert every class period for the fun of it. Specifically, in my biology class, the table that I sat at with my friends were always humming some type of tune and eventually the whole class would break out in a song which is the highlight of my high school experience mimicking the movie, High School Musical. To add to that, I overall enjoyed the HBCU feel that my high school's spirit gave off. The Westlake community always refers to Westlake as a mini HBCU because of the different aspects such as the band, the dancers, the cheerleaders, the spirit, the impromptu dance flash mobs with the band playing in the background, the traditional chant we said whenever something good happened, the immense support for sports, the prominent black excellence, and the genuine love that everyone has for one another makes Westlake a community of family. More specifically, the recent passing of our beloved Principal, Dr. Jamar Robinson and his wife, Ms. Robinson brought so many people together, even outside of the Westlake family such as Xavier University of Louisiana to stand in solidarity to share their condolences for our lost which goes to show how our principal's impact reached far and wide. A Group Me chat has also been made for Westlake High School Alumni to come together and reflect on the good times we had with Principal Robinson as well as plan a candle lighting and other memorials to celebrate the life of our heroic principal. Overall, the experience that I had at the illustrious Westlake High School was nothing short of amazing and unmatched and I am truly honored to say that I graduated as a Westlake Lion.
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Ralph White on 08/02/2023
