When Makaiya Smith became part of the Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis village in the 7th grade, she had lofty goals and big dreams, and she was determined to attain them. Even at her young age, Makaiya was eager to join BHGHSTL’s Hope Prep Academy because she knew her future success would be enhanced if she was in an environment with students who enjoyed learning as much as she did. With the support of her family, teachers, and the BHGHSTL team, Makaiya did just that, graduating sixth in her class from McClure South Berkely High School in 2018 with a 3.9 GPA.
Makaiya developed a love for software during her freshman year of high school when her Physical Science teacher, Albert Harrold, encouraged her to attend a robotics meeting co-hosted by Grammy Award winner and tech entrepreneur will.i.am. Her mother’s unwavering encouragement and mentorship from former Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis Hope Prep Collegiate Success Manager, Cherae Bullard, propelled Makaiya as she pursued her academic goals.
Makaiya was accepted to more than 40 universities and colleges and ultimately chose Jackson State University, where she double majored in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering. In addition to her rigorous academics, Makaiya also earned a scholarship to attend a Google conference, was selected as a BHGH Steward Scholar in 2020, and secured an 8-week paid internship at Missouri S&T’s Summer Engineering Research Academy.
Makaiya graduated from Jackson State in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and now works at the Boeing Company as a Systems Design Engineer. But her involvement in the BHGHSTL village doesn’t end there. Realizing the importance of the resources and support she received, Makayia referred her cousin Terrell to the BHGHSTL Residential Program, where he is now chasing his dreams.