Graduates and soon-to-be graduates agree that behind the trend is a personal determination to excel in spite of the double burden of racism and sexism that Black girls often face.
Author Archives: Samantha West/Chalkbeat Tennessee
Samantha West is a reporter for Chalkbeat Tennessee, where she covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools. She's a 2021 Education Writers Association Reporting Fellow and New to the Beat rookie. Before joining Chalkbeat, she was a K-12 education reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. While studying journalism and English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, she interned at The Washington Post and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as the Ann Devroy Fellow. A native Minnesotan and a seven-year Wisconsinite, she’s passionate about hotdish (not casserole) and the Green Bay Packers.