Do you know that your past and present situations do not have to define your final destination? You decide whether the past and present make or break you.
As for Markayla Moore, she decided to let her past make her.
Despite some odds, she earned the right to graduate at the top of her class.
With a GPA of 3.95, she walked across the stage on Saturday as Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School Class of 2023 Valedictorian. According to Markayla, “This was spoken to me at an early age by my mom, Lemetrice Moore Tyler, stepdad, Teddy Tyler, and others (grandma and friends) who believed in me, who saw something in me before I saw it in myself. They told me I was going to be the first valedictorian.”
What’s amazing about her story is where it began.
Born in Clarksdale, but living in Tutwiler at an early age, Markayla is one of two children by her mom and seven by her dad. After elementary school, she moved to Drew.
Moving to Driftwood Apartments (or the “projects” and 210 Maxwell, as it’s called) brought about a change for her.
Not only was the place new; she remembered a fight happening on her first day there. In her words, “The environment could really trap you.”
Markayla believes that people can become a product of their environment. She started out wrong with trying to follow the “crowd.” Even though she didn’t get involved in the gangs, and gang-related activity like drugs and violence, she still wasn’t making the best decisions.
Then there was the peer pressure of boys a few years older trying to talk to her.
“At times, it kept me from being the person I am today; I could’ve gone on a whole different path, but my mother wouldn’t let me,” she said matter-of-factly.
During eighth grade, Markayla didn’t understand how important education was; she didn’t see the bigger picture.
She credits her family for being her biggest supporters.
They have always told her she is exceptional and she can be anything she wants to be. Hearing all of that was great, but the pressures of keeping up with it were tough. Markayla admits that she went through the phase of trying to fit in and trying not to seem too smart because she realized kids really don’t like nerds. Her ninth-grade year is when she realized she wanted to be valedictorian and saw that it was possible.
Akyrion Calvin-Brown, the young man who finished as the salutatorian, has always been her competition.
“It was very friendly even though he swore he was going to beat me,” she chuckled. “That motivated me, too; it motivated both of us. We helped each other out, but it was ‘may the best man win.’” Obviously, Markayla was the best woman. Markayla’s accomplishment is now motivating and inspiring those around her. Her sister, now a seventhgrader, desires to be valedictorian when she graduates high school. Markayla is grateful to be motivating her family and making her loved ones proud. She is making herself proud, too.
Markayla’s goal since completing high school is to continue working, go to Coahoma Community College for a year if her dual-enrollment credits transfer, join Phi Theta Kappa, and boost up her name so she’ll look better on paper when applying to universities.
She desires to be active in her community and make a positive impact.
Being a social worker is her dream career because she really wants to help people and she hates to see people in situations they cannot control.
Markayla’s advice to someone who may be living in an unhealthy, less-than-perfect environment is this: “It’s okay to be different. It’s broadcasted that you’re weird if you’re different, but I say never fall in line; have your own mind. Do what’s best for you because the people who are trying to influence you are not going to be there for you every step of the way. Don’t try to shut your family out. Even though you may be annoyed and don’t want to listen, family is there for you. When you’re young, it’s okay to have fun, but be great while doing so. Finally, bullying is not cool. There’s nothing good about trying to bring someone else down. You are great. Your situation, the place where you live, does not define you. Your family does not define you. Your actions are what define you; so, make great choices and smart decisions. Learn from your mistakes.”
