OUR 2021 YOUTH HONOREE Natajha Graham
Born in New York City, a daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Natajha Graham is the first member of her family to go to college. We first met her as a junior at A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School (APRCHS), where she was working as a Youth Leader with the nonprofit College Access: Research and Action (CARA). Along with other Youth Leaders and APRCHS students, Natajha painted the murals inside and outside the Student Success Center as part of a CAW after-school public art youth employment program. Last summer, she returned to CAW as a Youth Apprentice with our Social Justice youth employment program. She is currently studying biology at Spelman College in Atlanta. We sat down to talk to Natajha about her work with CAW, social justice, and her hopes for the future. In 2019, while you were a junior at APRCHS, you participated in a CAW afterschool program painting murals inside and outside the Student Success Center. How was your experience? It was a really good experience, because I'd never done any type of painting before that. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what images to include that might influence other students to want to have a postsecondary plan after graduation. Also, people who pass the mural will come inside, and then want to know more about the Student Success Center. It was eye-catching, and it made people feel good just knowing that somebody cared enough to get their attention and to invite them in. Natajha in front of the Student Success Center
Tell us about your experience as a Youth Apprentice last summer. It was something new that I wanted to try and it was totally different than what I expected. It was great learning about my strengths and weaknesses and discovering a love of photography. But mostly, I loved working with a lot of new friends. Our art had a lot of personal meaning behind it and it was surprising to hear other students telling so many stories about their art. 34
