Kaylah Clark is a 2021 graduate of Howard university with a B.A in Sociology and an English minor. From Miami Gardens, Florida, she grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and surrounded by family. She loved education her entire life, and grew up with two parent educators. Despite the demographics of her neighborhood, she attended private school and magnet school before high school. Her high school, Miami Northwestern, was heavily black, sports oriented, and in the inner-city. It was there that she excelled in throwing events, which she began competing in in 4th grade. From 4th to 8th grade, she collected numerous accolades and made multiple trips to the junior Olympics. The sport allowed her to travel outside of Florida to Iowa, Texas and her personal favorite ,New Orleans. During her Sophomore and Junior years, she began to feel the pressure of chasing marks or offers. Even though she knew that going to a Power 5 school wasn’t really her speed, there was still much to be decided. Going into the college experience, Clark wanted to attend an HBCU, where she could compete in track and further her education( holding a 4.0 in high school). She visited Howard and NCAT officially, and fell in love with the former. Her Howard career began with the departure of the coach that recruited her, as well as adjustments being far from home. She credits her faith and her family for holding her down through the tough times. Clark still managed to score in multiple events at the conference championships as a Freshman. She came into the following year aiming to lead by example for our younger group of throwers, while continuing to serve on campus. “I will forever be more than an athlete”, she told me as we spoke about the multiple organizations that she joined. She held positions across the board such as community service director, president, Vice President, parliamentarian, and even represented the MEAC conference for the NCAA. Balancing extracurriculars, track, and academics was difficult, but Clark enjoyed being a busybody. Unfortunately when Covid-19 cut her Junior year short, the lack of routine was very hard to overcome. Like many, living at home presented a new set of difficulties and questions about the future. Also, an ongoing injury cut short an opportunity for one last season. But again, Clark is much much more than an athlete. She has kept herself busy with her baking business, sweets by Kay, and by pledging Greek life. Immediately following her graduation, Kaylah will begin a career in education with Teach for America right in her hometown. Recorded: 5.18.21
