Student Spotlight
AYSIA MCGHEE: Class President and Purpose-Driven Leader
Written by Pia Forbes
Aysia McGhee’s college trajectory has not been typical. Born into a military family, before graduating from high school in Atlanta, she had lived in Kentucky, Germany, Hawaii, and Alabama. She first enrolled in college in 2018, but COVID happened and she decided to take some time off. She says she did some odd jobs, went to cosmetology school, and worked in that industry. But it was becoming a mom in 2021 that changed everything for her. “That lifestyle and having my daughter is what made me realize that I wanted more for myself, and I needed to be able to have a sustainable life.” On a whim, she applied to Clark Atlanta University and after getting her acceptance letter, she went to Admitted Students’ Day, where she found about the Google Scholars Academy and got in. Since then, she says, “I have taken advantage of every opportunity possible.”
At the close of the intensive three-week program that helped prepare her for re-entry into the college environment, she gave the end-of-ceremony speech. On the spot, the then global head Business Development, Marketing and Public Sector at Google offered her a full-time, post-graduation job—and equally important, Aysia realized she had been inspired to be a leader and leave a mark on CAU. The mass media arts major (with a concentration in radio, TV, and film) was elected Miss Freshman 2024 by her class, and she says being an official representative of the freshman class gave her the opportunity to build relationships with her classmates, as well as the administration—both of which were valuable when she campaigned to become sophomore class president, a role she says allows her to advocate more effectively for her class.
Clark Atlanta Magazine
18
Powered by FlippingBook