Access to opportunities shaped the trajectory of Higher Achievement alumna Davion Washington’s life. Now in her first year at Howard University, she stands poised to ensure that the next generation of students have that same support.
Davion joined Higher Achievement in 5th grade after hearing about the program through friends. She fondly remembers the chants, summer learning opportunities, and preparation for Higher Achievement’s annual Love Out Loud poetry performance in 6th-8th grade. Davion spent hours crafting her poems and practicing for the final presentation. Although her final performance was during the pandemic, her hard work shone on the virtual stage.
One of the most profound impacts of Higher Achievement’s programming for Davion was the access to dedicated, supportive mentors. “Mentors at Higher Achievement led me to the work I did in high school and what I am trying to do now,” reflects Davion. “I still have a picture of me and my friends and my Higher Achievement mentor on my fridge.” Davion’s mentors helped prepare her and her fellow scholars as they went through the high school application process. Davion applied to both Community and Open High Schools, both of which required an interview. Her mentors at Higher Achievement were part of the support system that helped with interview tips and practice. After getting into both schools, she ultimately selected Richmond Community, which offered an intimate class size and a unique culture.
The mentoring support that ushered Davion into high school grew into a passion to support the next generation. Davion’s Higher Achievement Learning Director Ms. T connected her with MENTOR Virginia, an organization dedicated to expanding access to mentors across the state. Throughout high school, Davion worked as a youth ambassador for the program, helping to lead forums about mental health, STEM, and afterschool programs, and why mentorship is so important. Her work helped to prepare for MENTOR’s Capitol Hill Day where all state organizations joined together to speak with state legislators and senators advocating for mentoring programs throughout the United States.
In addition to her work with MENTOR Virginia, Davion spent her junior and senior years of high school in a dual enrollment program to earn her Associate’s degree, prepare her first resume, and obtain college professor recommendation letters—all before graduation. Her Richmond Community counselor helped Davion get familiar with the college landscape, including in-state versus out-of-state schools and how to use the Common Application. “My counselor was a stickler for applications. I was in her office two to three times a week,” laughs Davion. “I had a bunch of people proofread my essay. I had a good community of teachers and staff that really cared.”
This year, Davion begins her first year at Howard University, participating in their Humanities & Social Sciences Scholars Program, an undergraduate-to-graduate school pipeline that supports minority students in pursuing a PhD in a humanities or social science discipline. Students like Davion are supported as they potentially join the professoriate, conduct needed research, participate in policy development, and become leaders in related governmental and private organizations.
The program not only provides a scholarship for participating students, but also study abroad opportunities, advising, study groups, and a summer bridge program to prepare students for their time at Howard. Davion spent six weeks in a cohort of 17 living on campus cellphone-free with classes, programming, and study hall from 7:00-10 p.m. Classes in African American studies and sociology culminated in a study abroad trip to Ghana where Davion and her peers had the opportunity to learn from professors at the University of Ghana and become immersed in the culture and history of the country. “It was a learning trip and a trip of experiences,” says Davion. “I really valued it. I got to visit a whole new continent—not just a new country—and see the similarities and differences. It also gave me time with older students with different academic and research interests.”
Throughout the summer, Davion honed her research interests and direction for her major. “My main focus right now is building my preparedness for grad school,” says Davion. “I am majoring in criminology with a possible double major in human development.” Her research interest in community interventions for Black adolescents seeks to target the underlying issues that contribute to crime by increasing supportive community programs for young people during their formative years.
She has already identified two student groups with a focus on mentoring, Who Got Game and Pipeline to the Mecca, Inc., to pursue in between classes as an Honors Criminology student with the College of Arts and Sciences, and her time working as a Nontraditional Student Co-Coordinator supporting incoming students to Howard.
As Davion reflects on her journey to college, she appreciates the pivotal role community and support played in her middle school years and beyond.
“Access to opportunities has caused the trajectory of my life,” affirms Davion. “It started at Higher Achievement. Being that 5th grader and seeing the older students, seeing what I could be. That was the starting point to who I am now.”
At Higher Achievement, Davion was around other scholars from a mix of grades and elementary schools. “Being in that setting for the first time was a learning curve,” she remembers. “I learned how to be around others and work with them. I first learned collaboration at Higher Achievement. It shaped me and I’ve taken that skill with me everywhere.” She put those skills into action through participation in marching band from 7th grade to the end of high school, and in leadership positions throughout her school career.
“Taking on leadership positions at Higher Achievement broadened my horizons,” says Davion. “I was my elementary school class president, but in Higher Achievement, I built up the confidence to want to do more things. I was a drum major in 10th grade, class president in high school, and a student ambassador.”
“Being able to have opportunities has gotten me to where I am now. Opportunities shape you as a person—from early years to adolescence to adulthood, even as a senior citizen. They are so beneficial, and it’s what I advocate for now: community programs that can provide these opportunities. These programs help you to grow and figure out and mold who you are as you define your future.”
Davion is ensuring future generations of young people have access to life-changing opportunities through programs like Higher Achievement, both through her academic focus, and now as a new Higher Achievement mentor.
Alumni like Davion are building the kind of future our city and country need. Consider making a gift today to advance their work and expand Higher Achievement’s impact for the next generation.