3 minute read
glo Girl : Caleighsta Edmonds
from Glo - May 2022
COMMUNITY FOCUS |
glo GIRL
CALEIGHSTA EDMONDS
Age: 18
By Jennie Renner | Photo provided
Part of growing up is figuring out who you are. At 18 years young, Caleighsta Edmonds is well on her way. She graduated from New Tech Academy at Wayne High School last year and is currently at Howard University in Washington D.C. with plans to go to law school.
Edmonds has changed majors three times — from psychology to political science, and now English. She made the changes because she realized she would be better served by studying something that she has a natural affinity for rather than pursuing a degree in something she thinks is the appropriate choice for her career.
While deciding on her major has not been a straight line, there was one thing she was sure about from an early age. In middle school, Edmonds first heard the words “Historically Black College or University ‘’ or HBCU. After learning what it was, she was determined to pursue her education at one.
“I knew I was going to have to leave the Midwest in order to go to an HBCU,” she said. “I ended up applying to eight different schools — six were HBCUs.”
Howard University was at the top of her list so when she was accepted, it wasn’t too hard to make her decision to attend. She was inspired by seeing Kamala Harris, who is a graduate of Howard, become the first woman and first black American to become Vice President.
Edmonds also chose Howard University because it has the most black undergraduates who go on to medical professions. Before deciding to become a lawyer, she had planned to pursue medicine.
“I feel like racism in the medical field is the most overlooked, but the most fatal form of racism there is because it goes so unchecked,” she said. “Black women are the most likely group to die on the table when they have surgery; Black babies also have high mortality rates.”
Edmonds thought the way to fix the racial injustice was to join the medical field. And then she realized that choosing that path wouldn’t be playing to her strengths. One day she saw an article about women of color being victims of medical malpractice, but unable to afford to mount a case against the doctors. That is when Edmonds decided to become a lawyer.
Seeing how much racism affects her community, she is motivated to pursue this career path.
“I think it’s just better to start something knowing it’s going to be hard than to ignore it because it’s easier to ignore it,” she said. “I don’t think I can do nothing.” a
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