Join Their Journey: A Tale of Two Alumni
Fadloullah Adome KIPP NCA Senior
No matter where their journeys take them, we stand beside our graduates as they go after their goals. We love to shine the spotlight on our alumni—and who better to do just that than our current students who will one day walk in their footsteps? KIPP Newark Lab High School junior Tassana Dorrah and KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy senior Fadloullah Adome spoke with two alumni pursuing different paths to learn how their time at KIPP influenced them and what it takes to excel after high school. Step inside their conversations!
Jada Lemon KIPP NCA Alumni, current sophomore at Howard University
A CONVERSATION WITH JADA LEMON by Fadloullah Adome
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veryone’s journey is fraught with challenges —this is a given and a constant. However, it is the way we face those challenges and the people we surround ourselves with that determines how capable we are of overcoming challenges and growing as people. As a senior at KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy (NCA), I’ve discovered that it’s the teachers we meet, the friends we surround ourselves with, and a belief in ourselves and our potential that defines our journey.
will go to support students. In the latter stage of her high school journey, Lemon met Mr. McKenzie, the AP Calculus teacher and a 13-year NCA founding veteran teacher. “Whenever he had time, Mr. McKenzie would help tutor us so we better understood the content,” said Lemon. “He helped us all prepare for the AP exams and sometimes even sacrificed a weekend to help us study.” Lemon added that Mr. McKenzie was easy to speak with, even on casual topics.
Jada Lemon, a KIPP NCA alumna and sophomore at Howard University, agrees with that notion. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Lemon about her experiences at college and with KIPP New Jersey. We discussed the ways great teachers impacted our journeys and the power of learning to advocate for ourselves. According to Jada, “Learning self-advocacy was imperative to my growth. As a student, I was capable, but sometimes struggled with my confidence, so my teachers, particularly Mark Joseph (AKA MoJo!) at KIPP Rise Academy, went above and beyond to help me regain my confidence in subjects like math. I’ll never forget his kindness.” I agree that self-advocacy is an underrated skill in life. We often don’t have all the skills or resources to complete our tasks, so being able to call upon other people to assist us is imperative.
As a student today in Mr. McKenzie’s AP Calculus BC class, I can personally attest to everything Ms.Lemon mentioned. I believe teachers like Mr. McKenzie can be an anchor for students. They are educators and great mentors—they can also become great friends. KIPP is full of them. As I concluded my conversation with Lemon, I asked her what advice she has for current high school students. Her response? “Have faith in your process, it’s completely your own. Don’t compare your timeframe to everyone else’s timeframe. Everything is unique to you. Everything you do matters. Have faith in yourself.”
As students of NCA, we’ve both experienced how far teachers 16
More than anything, one’s path is solely their own. Our success will always be tied to who we let ourselves be. Fortunately, KIPP employs many great teachers who care for the kids within each building. Having faith and the ability to both rely on others and be of assistance to them is a surefire way to success.
