ari 🫶🏽

Today, I graduated from Western Michigan University. Four years ago, I never could have pictured that Southern girl with big hoop dreams finding herself all the way in the Mid-West. If you know me, you know that I have had to overcome many obstacles during my college journey, but it has shaped me in every way.

I faced injuries that forced me to rebuild from the ground up. I transferred schools three different times, learning how to start over, adjust, and find myself again in new environments. There were seasons where I was just trying to keep pushing through, unsure of what was next but still choosing to move forward.
Somehow, I kept going. I learned how to sit in uncertainty, rebuild after setbacks, and trust myself even when nothing felt stable.

I want to give my thanks to the places that shaped me throughout this journey:

To Hampton University: Thank you for being my home away from home. For giving me friendships I will carry for a lifetime and my HBCU experience that shaped so much of who I am today.

To High Point University: Thank you for exposing me to a new level of opportunity and experience, for unforgettable moments like March Madness, and for bringing me to my girlfriend, one of the greatest blessings of my life.

To Western Michigan University: Thank you for helping me rediscover my love for basketball when I had lost it. For welcoming me with open arms and surrounding me with incredible people. And lastly, for allowing me to become a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

I am deeply grateful to God, my family, and my support systems for being constant through every high and low.

And to basketball, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love while also allowing me to graduate debt free. That is a blessing I will always carry with me.

Martyne, I know you are looking down from Heaven with the biggest smile on your face. You always said you would be at my graduation yelling “That’s my baby!” as I walked across the stage. Well, today, your baby did it.

Ariana Paris Wilkes
B.S. Psychology, Cum Laude
Minor in Holistic Health & Contemplative Well-Being