“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character…that is the goal of true education.” — Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MAKING PAPA PROUD 

DALLAS — Amid the unprecedented global pandemic that lasted approximately 2 ½ years, Tanisha Renee Boyd found it difficult to adjust academically, particularly during what was widely regarded as the dreaded shelter-in-place.

Having been reduced to virtual learning within the walls of her Aubrey, Texas residence, Boyd, according to her mother, Roslyn Boyd, struggled mightily for a student athlete who had become accustomed to manufacturing high marks in the classroom.

“Tanisha was truly struggling during the pandemic. (She had become a) C-average student and couldn’t focus,” Roslyn Boyd told Making Headline News this week.

Fortunately for Tanisha Boyd, a catalyst for Braswell High School’s varsity track and field squad, her academic confrontation had all become a distant memory when students were permitted to return to campus.

As part of Making Headline News’ Annual Salute To Graduate Tributes for 2024, Roslyn Boyd recalled how her youngest child managed to defy arguably the toughest of educational odds en route to recapturing favorable academic standing.

To her credit, Tanisha Boyd would return to form, having amassed a cumulative grade point average of 3.0, this after plummeting to C-average status.

TRACK & FIELD OF DREAMS 

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For what it’s worth, though, it seemed Tanisha Boyd had essentially uttered her own dose of prophecy, of sorts, in the wake of her unlikely academic skid.

“When the schools opened back up, she looked into the future and said, ‘I want you graduate with a 3.0 or higher. What do I need to do?'” her mother told MHN. “She studied and became focus and now she is seeing her fruits of her labor.”

And, for good measure, Tanisha Boyd’s memorable academic progression was culminated by her acquiring her diploma during Braswell’s commencement exercises May 23 on the campus of the University of North Texas.

“What an awesome job we did in helping her get to this day,” said Roslyn Boyd, alluding to the tireless help of her husband, Devon. “We are Godly proud of her and know that her future is bright knowing that she already achieved for first goal graduating high school.”

Next up for Tanisha Boyd: it’s off this fall to Tougaloo College, a private historically black institution in Jackson, Mississippi, where she plans to major in Biomedicine.

According to Tanisha Boyd, she chose Tougaloo over Northern Arizona University, Stephen F. Austin State University, and UNT.

Hours before walking across the stage to receive her diploma, Tanisha Boyd hastened to her social media timeline, where she paid homage to her great grandfather, who passed away last summer.

Said Tanisha before her gallery of followers via Facebook:

Hey papa. Today is the day I walk across the stage to get my high school diploma. It hurts that you’re not here, but I know your smiling down on me, telling me “The sky’s the limit.’  Your daughter, granddaughter, wife, and grandson-in-law have taken great care of me. I’m walking across the stage with you right next to me.

By all accounts, the Boyds relish the notion that their baby girl — whose favorite scripture is 2 Chronicles 2:14 — was destined to erase the memory of her ongoing academic struggles, particularly when she and her peers were reduced to taking classes virtually.

Now that her high tenure is complete, the former Braswell sprinter now has her sights set on making the much-anticipated transition to college life in the coming months — nearly 6 ½ hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

“I will truly miss her,” Roslyn Boyd said of her daughter’s forthcoming departure for Tugaloo College. “She’s not even gone yet, and the tears won’t stop flowing.”

For all the right reasons, too.

ONE SHINING MOMENT 

A RELATED STORY 

TEXAS PREP SPORTS: Freshman Tanisha Boyd making her presence felt as a newcomer to Braswell High track and field team

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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.

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