Read this student success spotlight about ESHS 2021 graduate Makaela Yamoah!
Makaela Yamoah will attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) this fall to major in cellular, molecular and developmental biology. She was awarded the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship by the UCLA Black Alumni Association, a $40,000 scholarship disbursed over four years. She says she has always had in interested in pursuing an education and career involving medical science. “I’m considering a career as a doctor or a medical researcher in the area of molecular research,” she said. “I’m interested in the cellular aspect of biology because it is the most basic unit of life and the results of its analysis can be used in so many positive ways. I want a career that helps people.”
Makaela was in the ESHS Biomedical Science Pathway all four years of high school and said she loved it. “Right from the start, you have the opportunity to apply what you learn to real-world situations.” During her senior year, her class was assigned a project asking them to apply the knowledge they learned in the pathway to figure out how to improve emergency rooms and make them more efficient.
Makaela chose to transfer to ESUSD specifically for high school after previously attending school in the Wiseburn School District. “I wanted to attend ESHS because it offers a full complement of options, such as AP, the Pathways, A-G requirements and athletics,” she said. She enjoyed her experience at ESHS where she the freedom to explore her interests fully and figure out what subjects she was most interested in pursuing further. “I have built relationships in high school that I will cherish for life, both with teachers, mentors and fellow students,” she said.
Makaela also enjoyed extra-curricular pursuits at ESHS as a member be of the girls track team where she participated in the 400 meter 4x4 and 100 meter dash. She served as co-president of ESHS’ Black Student Union, a student club she participated in for four years. “A memorable moment for me was the student protest organized last summer,” she said. “It was a time when I had a lot of emotions about the social injustices occurring and the solidarity I witnessed from teachers to students to people in the community was uplifting. It made me feel supported knowing that there are people within this community who are committed to addressing the social issues prevalent within this country.”