Nadirah Smith

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Nadirah Smith, a senior at Greater Johnstown High School, is proof that a positive attitude combined with a good work ethic can lead to tremendous accomplishments. Nadirah won The Challenge Program Inc.’s award for Academic Improvement by raising her grades from mostly Ds and Fs to As and Bs, which earned her a spot on the Honor Roll. “The Challenge Program award was my incentive,” she said. The road to success was not smooth, but with the support of her older sister and school principals, she buckled down and set a goal to prove to herself that she could do it.

“I just said, from now until I graduate, I have to get all As and Bs to make up for all the bad grades. If my sister and principals wouldn’t have pushed me, I might have given up. They deserve some credit too.”

In addition to improving her grades, another TCP category – community service – is an important aspect of Nadirah’s life. She is a member of the SADD club (Students Against Destructive Decisions), whose mission is to prevent kids from experimenting with drugs and alcohol as well as making poor decisions like texting while driving.

Nadirah also volunteers at the Special Needs class in her high school. She has been working since she was sixteen and is currently a childcare provider for Child Care Information Services. Child Development is her favorite class and she hopes to continue her education in a related field. Nadirah has a passion for caring for children. She says, “I really enjoy being around children. I don’t get bored or frustrated. It’s interesting to see their personalities develop.”

In fact, one of the people who inspires Nadirah the most is her three-year-old nephew, who looks up to her as a disciplinary and friend. She says, “Now that he sees how happy I am to go to school, he’s getting excited to go to school. It pushes me to keep up with everything I do. So many kids are not motivated, and they don’t have anybody to motivate them.”

Nadirah was also motivated to win The Challenge Program award as a way to give Greater Johnstown High School some positive publicity. Nadirah says that her school gets a lot of negative press, and as someone who cares deeply about her community, she was excited to show that there are many great aspects to her school.

“What people don’t consider is that we have a student who graduated from GJHS who is now a player in the NFL. We have a shop where people can bring their cars to get worked on, and we have clubs that go out and help give back to the community.”

Because they served as her inspiration and provided motivation for her to achieve the award, Nadirah treated her sister and brother-in-law to a celebratory meal. The remainder of the award money went toward educational expenses.

“The Challenge Program award was my incentive to do better in school,” Nadirah said, adding that she won’t soon forget the hard work that led to her success because she sees it every day. “It’s now in a frame in my living room, and I plan on taking it with me to college.”