I am APS is a special series highlighting students, faculty, alumni, and others in celebration of the rich and diverse experiences, backgrounds and contributions within the Atlanta Public Schools family. Together, we stand in solidarity of our shared admiration of APS and the mission which guides us. #IamAPS
Tiara Poole, a junior at Booker T. Washington High School, has APS in her DNA.
Her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother all went to Booker T. Washington High School, and now she’s blazing her own trail at the school.
Poole is a go-getter with a lot on her plate. Not only is she dual-enrolled at Clark Atlanta University, but she also started a clothing brand with her classmate and business partner, Hali Jordan.
Poole shared with us why she loves her school and the bright future she has ahead of her.
Q: How has Washington helped you pursue your goals?
A: Booker T. Washington has helped me with a lot. I have experienced new things being able to go outside the campus. It has helped me be able to work well with other people, people who are higher up than me. I’ve met a lot of people who want to go into the same field I want to go into after I graduate. I’ve been able to network with a lot of people, and it has taught me more about myself as far as what am I good at. Holding myself accountable, responsibility and things like that. It helped me make my final decision about where I want to go after high school. It’s a whole bunch of new experiences and I love that we get a chance to do that here.
I’ll be a sophomore (in college) when I graduate high school, so I want to finish my last two years at Clark Atlanta University and then I want to go to medical school. I either want to go to the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta or go to Xavier in Louisiana. I want to be an anesthesiologist… I want to be a doctor. I don’t want to be a nurse. I also wanted to hold the title of being the first doctor in my family.
Q: What does the legacy of your school and your family mean to you?
A: My mother, grandmother and great-grandmother all went to Booker T. Washington High School. It just got passed down as time went on. My mother went through the same academy as me, but at the time it was called The Star Academy, so she did the early college process as well.
My grandmother and great-grandmother went here because of the legacy that this school has behind it. Booker T. Washington was the founder of this school. He built this school up. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went here. A whole bunch of other actors, singers, dancers and everybody who went here is really significant to the Black history, Black culture. The legacy that this school has and that it has with my family was what drew me here. It was my decision actually. My mom didn’t have to push me to go here.
I love my school. I love the history and the legacy it holds. I love the staff here and everyone that works here. It feels like a family here.
Q: How did you build connections while in school?
A: I am a part of many clubs here at Booker T. Washington. I’m a very active student. I’ve been a book club member since I was in ninth grade, and it’s been a very good experience for me and the other students. We got many different opportunities. Talked to many different people…
Me and my partner, Hali Jordan, already wanted to start a clothing brand, but we didn’t know specifically what we wanted to surround it around. So, we did it around gun violence, the anti-gun movement and Black rights. It’s called Living Legend, and it’s basically giving families who may have lost a loved one to a shooting or gang violence, something to remember their family members with.