Willayja is from Miami, Florida and is on her way to Florida A&M to study Biology. She was President of the Black Student Union at Dr. Krop Senior High School and is excited to attend an HBCU where there is, “An environment of students and faculty who look like me and have similar experiences to mine.” Willayja has seen courageousness firsthand watching her Nana advocate against gun violence after her grandfather was shot and murdered. Being the daughter of a teenage mother with bipolar disorder and a father who was incarcerated, Willayja could have struggled in school and out of school. But she has always refused to give up and pushed through to have a 3.7GPA and also became an Honor student. She aspires to develop programs and trials to help patients and families effectively deal with bipolar disorder. She is an active volunteer in her community, and she wants to encourage youth to “communicate and engage with mental health professionals to express the pressures and feelings of coping and surviving during mental health challenges.” This a kind, yet tenacious young woman that we are proud to support in her college experience at FAMU.