De’ja Dade is a Junior Media management major, business administration minor at Howard from Dallas,Texas. The youngest of 5 sisters, Dade has always prioritized her family. The biggest adjustment when she came to Howard was the distance between her and her family, and experiencing less frequent communication. Although De’ja spent time living in both Allen and Desoto, she eventually was living in Desoto and commuting to Allen. The hour to hour and a half long daily commune was essential for her development as far as independence. Going to a school like Allen was also incredibly demanding in itself, especially athletically. After standing out towards the tail end of middle school for her speed, Dade began taking track seriously in 9th grade. Despite not running for a Summer track club, and not running during her 11th grade year because of injury, she still garnered significant collegiate interest. Dade took two official visits, the first to Wichita state and the second to Howard. Her Freshman season at the Mecca was very successful, as she qualified for the conference meet in 2 events, missing a 3rd by .07 seconds and placing 7th in the high jump. She did as much in the face of injury, and ended up in a walking boot. The next day, the news of coronavirus hit the Howard community. Dade cherished her time at home, but struggled to find balance as time went on. Now back on campus as a Junior, Dade was grateful to return but felt the communal limitations of the hybrid environment. She is hopeful that Spring semester will feel more like the intense college experience. In the Summer of 2022, De’ja will be interning at Google. She details her story in the podcast, how her internship came about and how she was able to narrow down her interests.
Recorded: 12.9.21
