“Being recognized as a young black woman means that black women are not as they stereotype us.” This is a powerful message voiced by our Fountain-Fort Carson High School student of the month - Tahirah Williams! She aspires to go to Howard University and study to become an orthodontist. Being an amazing student, Tahirah has more than shown her drive by earning a 3.9 GPA to receive her induction into the National Honor Society (NHS), and her participation on the JROTC rifle team. This senior is also passionate about giving back to her community by volunteering her time with organizations such as the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Parade of Lights, and a toy donation drive for the basketball team. 

When asked “What’s a hard lesson you were grateful to have learned this year?”, Tahirah responded by telling us that: “My sergeant major tells us that it’s okay to fail, as long as we learn from our mistakes. This really helped me with school so that I don’t feel like I have to be perfect all the time.” Tahirah is grateful for this lesson and names one of her proudest accomplishments this year as “becoming a better person and having more of an open mind.” What a thrill it is to see her doing this self-work at such a young age!

Tahirah gives back all of her spare time outside of her studies. It may be cleaning up softball poles at Carson Middle School during the summer or helping children take pictures with Santa in the winter. She is also an active member of the National Honor Society’s Sources of Strength. This organization prevents suicide by increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults. Tahirah has also taken the initiative to improve access to the food pantry for her community. She discovered this opportunity to serve while looking for scholarships. Consequently, Tahirah has worked closely with her devoted teacher and the social worker at her school on this impactful project. 

Tahirah has had a great support system at school and home. Her counselor, Mrs. Sanchez, is an “inspiring woman” who likes to pass down her wisdom to students to better prepare them for college. At home, Tahirah’s mom has always encouraged her to succeed.   She has empowered Tahirah’s ambitions of becoming an orthodontist.  

We look forward to seeing Tahirah at the 2023 AAYLC!