BALTIMORE — Seniors attending Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women were cheered on as their college acceptances and scholarships were announced.
The celebration was at St. Frances Academy and it was an electric atmosphere.
One of the young women highlighted was Aniya Baker. The future Maryland Terrapin is majoring in political science this fall, with hopes of being a lawyer and eventually a politician.
"I've been working really hard in school. My family, we're not the richest, so I always knew me working hard was the only thing that was going to get me to school," said Baker.
Losing her father to gun violence when she was in elementary school, Baker overcame tragedy to get here.
Like many girls being celebrated, Baker had to work harder than most for this moment.
Her families financial struggles combined with their drive pushed her to get scholarships.
"I felt like I could breathe again. I knew, like I said earlier, finances were the biggest barrier between me and furthering my education after high school. To be honest, if I didn't get that money, I wasn't sure of what I was going to do," said Baker.
She's well on her way to a life of higher education, as she continues to outwork and overcome the stigma attached with Baltimore City Schools and young people.
"I live to prove people wrong. I know there's a lot of stigma if you're from Baltimore City that you don't know anything, that we don't have good education rates and I'm here to disband that stigma," said Baker.
