Amanda Elzy High School will graduate 73 seniors during commencement ceremonies at 11 a.m. Friday at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University.
Among those leading the Class of 2022 will be its valedictorian, Janiya Sims, 18, of Money and salutatorian Ceniya Glass, 18, of Greenwood.
Sims, the daughter of Eddie and Marilyn Sims, is graduating with a 4.13 GPA, and planning to attend Hinds Community College at its main campus in Raymond. She is pleased to be receiving three substantial scholarships that include one for being class valedictorian.
Her studies at Elzy High supported Sims’ interest in the sciences. She reflected on the coursework that she enjoyed the most. “My favorite would probably be biology,” Sims said. “I like science over the other subjects.”
Her grades are not just the product of smarts. Sims is a serious student who has worked to earn her achievements. “I always strived for all A’s,” she explained.
Sims said she’s not sure at this point what specific field of study she might pursue in college and where she might earn a bachelor’s degree — although she is thinking about universities inside Mississippi in order to secure in-state tuition.
“I don’t know exactly what I want to do,” Sims said. “But I do want to be successful in whatever I do.” Then she added, “I want a job that I like. I am not sure what I want to do yet, but I am going to figure that out.”
Glass, the daughter of Catina Head and Christopher Glass, said she was overwhelmed when she learned her 4.065 GPA had earned her the salutatorian’s title.
“When I found out I was salutatorian, I started to cry. I didn’t have any words,” Glass said. Soon she likely will be applying some of the knowledge and skills she learned at Elzy toward a career in the U.S. Air Force.
She said she used to think she might want to work in “some sort of health field.” But, “the Air Force basically builds a lot of intelligence, and I think that it will be a better fit for me,” Glass explained. “I have been interested in the Air Force for a long time.” So she signed up.
In the coming weeks, she expects to complete her enrollment at Jackson’s Military Enrollment Processing Station. After basic training, career options will be considered. She’s good at mathematics. In high school, she said, “math was always my favorite subject.”
Glass thinks she might like to serve in Europe, but first she has to receive that high school diploma. What seemed like a lifetime away is upon her. Graduation, she said, “is coming up fast.”
- Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
