Miss Saint Augustine's - Amirah Naqyiba Akua Ambekisye
On the first day of spring, March 20, 1989, Amirah Naqiyba Akua Ambekisye was introduced to the world. She was born to her loving parents, Aruwb Ama Ambekisye and Abiodun McCray. Ms. Ambekisye has five siblings: three sisters, Bre’yah, Ameenah, and Taaqiya and two brothers, Amir and Bernard. She is the proud granddaughter of Loretta Sims, the late, John Sims, and Johnnie Mae Harrill and Beulah Cherry.
Amirah attended Louis Armstrong Elementary School and Leonardo DiVinci Middle School in Corona, Queens, New York. After graduation from middle school, Amirah and her grandmother moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where she attended Olympic High School. During her high school years she participated on the varsity Cross Country, Basketball and Track teams. During her Sophomore, Junior and Senior years she was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, National Technical Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and Family Career Community Leaders of America. After visiting several colleges, Amirah fell in love with Saint Augustine’s College and decided that she would attend this historically rich, illustrious institution.
On the campus of Saint Augustine’s College, Amirah is known as an advocate for academic excellence and has maintained an overall 3.800 grade point average. She was inducted into the Alpha Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, received the Meritorious Scholarship and Presidential Scholar Awards and placed on the Dean’s List each semester. Most recently, she was recognized at the Annual Brotherhood Dinner at North Carolina State University along with Willie E. Gary, a highly acclaimed member of the Raleigh community. Amirah represented Saint Augustine’s College at the Leadership Conference held at Eastern Maryland University as the reigning Miss Saint Augustine’s College.
During her tenure at Saint Augustine’s College, she has been an active member of the Christian Fellowship Organization and Student Leaders Organization. She has had the honor of serving as Miss ROTC 2007-2008, and Junior Class Treasurer/Secretary of the Student Government Association. In the summer of 2007, Amirah attended Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia where she earned her wings. Her participation in the 2008 summer leadership training program at the prestigious West Point Academy has had a direct impact on her current appointment to the position as Battalion Commander of the Falcon Battalion, the highest position in the ROTC program. This past summer, she was included in the ranks of the top fifteen percent of cadets in the nation as a Distinguished Military Graduate in the ROTC Program. In addition to being dedicated to the ROTC program her beloved institution, she also participates and supports community organizations as a volunteer with Kaboom and Habitat for Humanity.
Miss Ambekisye will graduate in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Military Science. Upon graduation, Amirah will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army where she plans to further her studies in the field of Human Resources and continue to serve as a positive role model and an inspiration to help and encourage other young people to achieve their dreams. She believes that although there may be obstacles in life, with the support of her friends and family and an abiding faith that if she trusts in the Lord, He will provide her everlasting strength to succeed and be a blessing to others.