WJHL-TV Student of the Week: Ayanna Alexander

WJHL-TV has named one of Langston High School's descendants as its "Student of the Week," and we are proud to feature that article.


THE VIDEO STORY FROM WJHL-TV IS IN THE PHOTO GALLERY.. YOU'LL NEED THE ADOBE FLASH PLAYER TO SEE IT.

She's a musician, looking to make her mark in the media, and this summer, she's going to Washington, D.C. to cover the nation's capital.

Ayanna Alexander is this week's WJHL-TV "Student of the Week." The 17-year old junior at Science Hill High School in Johnson City is the granddaughter of Mary Alexander, Langston High School graduate, who also works with Kingsport's Weed and Seed program.

"The band at Science Hill is my family," says Ayanna. "They're like my brothers and sisters."

Ayanna says family is the secret to her success. She's part of the award-winning Science Hilltopper band in Johnson City, and has played the clarinet since the 6th grade.

"Her I-Q is very high, but her leadership potential is also very high," says her band director, "and I like what she's doing, both as a musician and as a kid."

The modest musician is also rather soft-spoken about her 3.6 grade point average, but Ayanna admits it takes perserverance to make the grade.

"No TV, no computer, no friends until I get everything done, no phone," she admits. "Mom's really strict when it comes to homework, because she really wants the best for me."

Amd Ayanna really wants one day to be reading her own byline.

"I really want to be a journalist for a major magazine, sort of like an editor," she says.

An avid reader, this junior English honor student is already getting the scoop on a journalism program. "I'm thinking of going to Howard University, because they have one of the best communications programs in the nation," Ayanna says, "so I just wnat to go to a good school to give me a good start."

Ayanna may have a chance to check out Howard this summer.. that's when she's studying with a presidential classroom communications and journalism program in Washington, D.C. The aspiring writer will gover Capitol Hill, while attending classes at Georgetown University.

As she prepares to cover the country's top brass, Ayanna will continue volunteering with the Science Hill High School Beta Club.

"You do community service," she says, "and you basically step outside of school and outside your own life and start thinking about other people besides yourself."

WJHL-TV's "Student of the Week;" Ayanna Alexander.