Freshman year was a major turning point in Crystal Walker‘s academic life. As a ninth grader at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA), Crystal remembers how it felt when her name wasn’t recognized for being among the top five students in the class.
“All of my friends’ names were called, and I remember crying because I wanted to be in the top five,” she said. “My goal was to be the salutatorian or the valedictorian, so I pushed myself and got my GPA up the next year. I worked hard, and it made me feel great.”
Although she didn’t reach her goal of becoming valedictorian or salutatorian, Crystal is reaping the rewards of her hard work. On May 21, she will graduate with distinction as the No. 3 senior in the CSKYWLA Class of 2019.
“I was this close, but I know I did my best and worked hard” said Crystal, who will graduate with a 3.8 GPA. “I’m proud of the class rank I earned.”
In the fall, she plans to attend Georgia State University and major in social work in her pursuit to help others and change lives. A lifelong APS student and a tennis player since third grade, Crystal is a member of CSKYWLA’s regional championship tennis team. She also belongs to Future Business Leaders of America.
Crystal said she couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments.
“I’m really looking forward to college and starting the next chapter of my life,” she said.
| College/University | Georgia State University |
| Intended Major | Social Work |
| Career Goal | Social Worker |
| Awards/Recognition | Tennis Team, Future Business Leaders of America, VolleyBall and Cheerleading teams |
Atlanta Public Schools will host high school commencement exercises Saturday, May 18 â Friday, May 24, 2019. All ceremonies â except Atlanta Classical Academy and Charles R. Drew Charter School â will be held at Georgia Institute of Technology, McCamish Pavilion,965 Fowler Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. For more information on commencement exercises, go to www.atlantapublicschools.us/gradnation.
We Are APS highlights APS visionaries (parents, students, teachers, principals, support staff, community members, partners, etc.), who exemplify our vision of a high-performing school district where students love to learn, educators inspire, families engage, and the community trusts the system. To recommend an APS visionary for a We Are APS feature, contact your communications liaison or email apscommunicationsoffice@gmail.com.
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Crystal is such an awesome student and I look forward to her becoming my colleague one day. #SchoolSocialWorkersRock