Meet Anajiah Graham

I would describe it as a hopeful journey. The Club has instilled in me the value of having hope. Throughout my experience, I've always known that I would have the skills and knowledge to do what I wanted because of the staff members' faith in me.

In my current journey as a college freshman, my favorite message to remember is: "It's impossible to have failures, but it is possible to have setbacks." If something in life doesn’t happen when or how I wanted it to, I look at it as a setback. If I look at it as a failure, sometimes my motivation decreases, but knowing that there’s a setback on my journey makes me want to accomplish my goal more.

Two amazing women have inspired me: my mother and grandmother. I've seen parts of what my grandmother did for work in the agricultural fields surrounding [my hometown of] Belle Glade, which has inspired me to further my education and do well at whatever I'm doing because life is not always easy with your education. My mother has shown me the value of hard work. I've seen her work so hard to provide for her family and make sure we lack nothing—that has lit a fire in me to do the same for her. They both still inspire me to this day.

I feel most authentically me when I'm expressing my ideas for those who need help the most. I know that I have a calling to help those in need and help people realize what they can do in life. When I'm able to do that while putting a smile on others’ faces, I feel like I'm me. I'm also me when I'm around family and friends. I appreciate laughing, enjoying the memories we've made, and picturing the memories we can make in the future.