We Are APS: Necye Griggs

Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Necye (pronounced Na-kya) Griggs, 18, has experienced her share of adversity. Not long ago, her great-grandmother and uncle each suffered strokes, her father had two heart attacks, and her home was riddled with bullet holes following a drive-by shooting. Yet again, that forced her family to move for the fifth time in one year.

“My mom was in the house, and the bullet went right over her head from where she was sitting,” recalled Necye, whose mother wasn’t injured. “Bullets were flying all over the house.”

Despite those traumatic experiences, Necye remains resilient and determined. This fall, she will attend Alabama State University on a band scholarship, with plans to major in biology/pre-med and become an obstetrician/gynecologist.

“I want to show others that I’m going to make something out of my life,” said Necye, who will graduate No. 8 in her class. “That’s what motivates me.”

Atlanta Public Schools will host high school commencement exercises Saturday, May 18 – Friday, May 24, 2019. All ceremonies — except Atlanta Classical Academy and Charles R. Drew Charter School — will be held at Georgia Institute of Technology, McCamish Pavilion,965 Fowler Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. For more information on commencement exercises, go to www.atlantapublicschools.us/gradnation.

We Are APS highlights APS visionaries (parents, students, teachers, principals, support staff, community members, partners, etc.), who exemplify our vision of a high-performing school district where students love to learn, educators inspire, families engage, and the community trusts the system. To recommend an APS visionary for a We Are APS feature, contact your communications liaison or email apscommunicationsoffice@gmail.com.