![]() “It’s incredible how many people were constantly working,” she says. Those bonds deepened when Konan worked at the student center as a junior, one of the few returning students following a sophomore year disrupted by the global shutdown. Stanley McGill with Emory’s Buildings and Residential Services department was another, often the first face she saw after pulling all-nighters, greeting him just before dawn as he set up different buildings for the day. One was “Miss Barbara” Terrell, a dining hall staffer now stationed at Woodruff Physical Education Center who always made a point to ask about Konan’s mother while keeping the food flowing. Like many other arriving first-year students, Konan learned the names of workers in the DUC-ling (the interim dining facility her first year) and her residence hall. “She has a natural gift for public speaking and a powerful personal narrative to share with the senior class.”Īs the daughter of immigrants from Ivory Coast, Konan carried two expectations with her to campus: find a path toward medical school and commit to being respectful to everyone she encountered. “Heather-Destiny is an exemplary student who has made a difference across campus,” Ciejka says. Konan’s optimistic message stirred the committee most, says Jason Ciejka, associate dean in the Emory College Office for Undergraduate Education. Five finalists auditioned by delivering their speech and answering interview questions. ![]() “We are all part of a bigger community than we realized.”Ī slice of that community - made up of students, faculty and administrators - chose Konan to be class orator and the sole speaker at the Emory College diploma ceremony following a highly selective process.Īll applicants submitted a resume and written speech for consideration. “When the pandemic happened, the screen fell and made it clear how much those people matter and why our community works,” adds Konan, a neuroscience and behavioral biology major. “And greeting us are all these people who are literally here for us, feeding us and wanting to talk about how we are doing.” chem exam, and we would not be ok,” Konan says. “There would be hordes of us streaming into the dining hall from a 6 p.m. And, as she will share with fellow Class of 2022 Emory College of Arts and Sciences graduates during Commencement on May 9, Konan grew to appreciate anew the quiet background players critical for any success. Konan was among the few students who remained on campus. Konan full#Konan arrived at Emory, having matched for a full ride through the QuestBridge Scholars program for exceptional low-income students, fascinated by neuroplasticity and psychological resiliency. A tip o’ the cap to Emory staffĭespite a layoff that led to the loss of their Maryland home, Amy-Jose Konan kept up with the college application process for her daughter. ![]() During her junior year of high school, Heather-Destiny Konan was learning about biological resiliency when her mother gave her a lesson in mental toughness. ![]()
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