Alumni Feature: Nikkia T. Neal

Dream Like The Flowers Grow

Photo: Courtesy

Ms. Nikkia Neal is a high school teacher here in Newark. She teaches at East Side High. She's been teaching in Newark since she graduated from college. She's also a proud member of the first Black Greek Letter Organization for women, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. It really is inspiring when we get to hear about Phoenix alumni that have gone on to do great things. Ms. Neal is one of them. In my opinion, it is so important to give back and to be a positive role model for the people in your community. Ms. Neal is definitely one of those people. During our interview she gave me a glimpse of what University High School was like when she was here. We also discussed what she did after she proudly walked across that stage.

Ms. Neal attended Howard University, the “Mecca” of Historically Black Colleges and Universities where she was a Theatre Arts major with a concentration in dance.

Ms Neal teaches dance at her school so I wanted to know what personal attributes are needed to be successful as a dancer and dance instructor. Ms. Neal's response, "Passion, perseverance, and persistence are key attributes in the theatrical realm. There will always be someone better than you. You have to love what you do, believe in your gift even if no one else does and know that one day all your work will pay off."

When asked if she thought University High School adequately prepared her for college Ms. Neal had this to say,

"UHS absolutely prepared me, not just for college and a career, but for life. I will never forget my English teacher, Ms. Ferreira, who made me write twenty minute essays every day and made sure my personal statement was not only a sample of my writing, but a vivid reflection of who I was and where I wanted to go in life; my Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Noble, who nurtured and encouraged me as a person and not just a student throughout my time at UHS; and last but not least my chorus teacher/mentor, Mrs. Boxley who inspired me to go after my dreams and feed my passion and taught me how to carry myself with grace, style, and integrity (she still supports me to this day)."

Her fondest memories at UHS are when she was surrounded by her chorus friends. She admits, "Any chance I got to get to that room, which was located on the side of the auditorium by the band room at the time, I took. I jumped at every chance to suit up in my red cummerbund and bowtie and whether we were performing for the school or in front of city officials, I was there, often the first to arrive. I’ll always cherish the times Mrs. Boxley gave up her lunch to teach me a song or to in-part some of her vast wisdom into my life. My love of music, coupled with Mrs. Boxley’s sassy, yet tender way of leading us, shaped who I am in more ways than I can explain with words."

I asked Ms. Neal if she'd like a high school do over. Her response:

"If I had to do high school all over again, I wouldn’t change anything. I was involved in as many school activities as I could handle, I did the best I could do academically, I made a couple of the best friends anyone could have (we’re still friends to this day), and in the midst of all the hard work I enjoyed myself."

During the course of a school day Ms. Neal most looked forward to lunch. She said, "You never knew what kind of shenanigans were going to transpire with the c/o ’97. YOU JUST HAD TO BE THERE!!!"

When asked to share some pearls (as she called them) of wisdom with current students she had this to say, "My advice to current UHS students would be what I call a Recipe to Dream (RTD):

Figure out what drives you to get up in the morning, what you would spend countless hours focused on whether someone paid you or not, what you would sacrifice for, and never cease to become great at it.

Wake up early in the morning, give thanks, and hit the ground running toward your dreams.

Never forget to honor those who helped you to get there and stay humble so you can inherit the Earth.

Dreams, like flowers, grow and become reality when we water them with time, energy, hard work and love."

My hope is all of the students here at University water and nurture their talents so they too can grow like flowers. Thanks for that Ms. Neal!