Dr. Brooklyn Sims is a graduate of Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, class of 2025. She holds a bachelor of science in biology from Fisk University, 2020, and a master of science in biomedical science from Meharry Medical College, 2021. Driven by a passion for health equity and education, Dr. Sims is committed to improving access to quality oral health care in underserved communities. Beginning her dental career at Anniston Quality Health Care, a federally qualified health center, she is focused on delivering compassionate, comprehensive care. Dr. Sims believes patient education is a powerful tool in bridging the gap between dental knowledge and lasting oral health.

“Take a music class while you have the chance.” It is fitting that those are Megan Haller’s words of advice for current Gadsden City Schools students. A music class changed everything for Megan by helping her discover her passion and leading her to become the person she is today. After earning her bachelor’s degree in music from the University of North Alabama, she was a middle and high school band and orchestra teacher. These days, she is the Education Initiatives Manager for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, overseeing all of the educational programs of the state’s only full-time, professional symphony. Megan says her career aspiration is to continue the support and growth of education–especially music education–in Alabama.

As a senior communicative sciences and disorders major at Alabama A&M University, Zia George wears many different hats. In addition to being a full-time honors student, she has served as treasurer and two-term president of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association; she is a student activist involved with Campus Vote Project; she works as a clinical assistant earning hours toward her certification; she is an officer in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta; and she volunteers with several other organizations. Zia plans to become a doctor of speech-language pathology specializing in neonatal feeding and swallowing disorders. Her advice to those embarking on their journey beyond GCHS is: “Make your presence felt in every room you enter. This doesn’t mean being the loudest or most outspoken; rather, it’s about exuding confidence and authenticity.”

From Gadsden to Yale, then Toronto and Austin, with stops along the way, Khalid Cannon is making an impact on young people across the country. Khalid is president of Put Me In!, a national nonprofit organization that provides financial aid to children of incarcerated parents so they can participate in sports. After graduating from Gadsden City High School in 2013, he attended Yale University where he double majored in chemistry and geology and started three years as an offensive lineman for the Yale Bulldogs. He later worked in the gold mining industry and as a consultant working with Fortune 500 companies. Khalid says he hopes to continue scaling Put Me In!! to reach thousands of children nationwide. Khalid said, “Beyond this, I aspire to use my experiences to drive systemic change in how non-profits leverage technology to scale efficiency and maximize impact.”

Brenden Perry is well on his way to a stellar career in education. He is currently vice principal of West End High School and one of less than 4,000 teachers in Alabama who have obtained National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood. He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in elementary education and instructional leadership from Jacksonville State University. Before accepting his current position at West End, he was a classroom teacher at both Springville Elementary School and John S. Jones Elementary School. Brenden credits the education, experiences, and exposure he received at Gadsden City with giving him the tools he needed to succeed academically and professionally.

Fall 2025 will be Gadsden City alumni Daniel Sparks’ fourth and final season as the University of Virginia’s starting punter. His college career included stops at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and the University of Minnesota before arriving at UVA. Daniel has already completed a bachelor’s degree in biology and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration. With aspirations for a career as a professional football player or in the athletics or healthcare fields, his future is wide open. He’s grateful for the life lessons and experiences that have made him the student-athlete he is today. Daniel offers this advice to future GCHS graduates: “Chase your dreams no matter how hard they may seem to accomplish. If it were easy everyone would do it.”

Kianna Westbrooks is the perfect example of Gadsden City girl power. At only 30 years old, Kianna is smart, stylish, and living her best life as a cosmetologist and salon suite owner in downtown Gadsden. Kianna received her cosmetology degree from Gadsden State Community College and enjoys working with women to develop a healthy hair journey that takes pride in their natural hair care routine. Kianna offers GCHS students and graduates three pieces of advice:

1. Always be kind and treat others with respect.
2. No matter how much you may think you can’t do something and no matter how hard it may seem–keep going.
3. Always be open to learning new things, because anything is possible.

Braden Teague’s advice to Gadsden City students is on track with what today’s experts are encouraging many local students to do, “Enroll in one of the career technical programs at Gadsden City to get shadowing hours to learn what you want to do with your college career.” After all, it worked for Braden. He was an active member of the health sciences program at Gadsden City. After graduating from GCHS, he received his nursing degree from Gadsden State Community College. By 21 years old, Braden had completed his master’s and is now in the final stages of becoming a nurse practitioner. Today, he works as an emergency department nurse, adjunct nursing instructor for Jacksonville State University, and as an interventional cardiology physician extender for North Alabama Cardiology.

Currently in her third year of medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Audria Wood knows a thing or two about setting goals and working hard to reach them. Before entering medical school, she majored in biology, minored in chemistry, and earned a master of public health degree concentrating in health behavior – all from UAB. With plans to become an orthopedic surgeon, Audria aspires to a career as an academic surgeon, teaching future medical students and serving the community. She encourages current and future students to take advantage of the opportunities at Gadsden City. She says, “I was a part of the Health Professionals track and had some very valuable experiences the helped me get to this point and still inform my patient care.”

Starting when he was a student at Gadsden City, Aaron Richard has focused on expanding his network and growing his knowledge base by learning as much about as many different things as he possibly could. That mindset continues to serve him well. Currently a junior at Princeton University, Aaron is majoring in architecture and minoring in architectural engineering and urban studies all while being a defensive lineman on the Tigers football team, an admissions ambassador, a board member of Generational African American Students Association (GAASA), a mentor to high school students, and much more. His plans for the future include graduating from Princeton, obtaining a graduate degree, and becoming a licensed architect by age 30. His advice to other Gadsden City graduates is: “Don’t limit yourself to what you know; keep expanding your network and your mind.”

Imagine graduating high school at age 18, and then traveling to Florence, Italy to be a research intern at the Medici Archive Project. Think about spending your days researching, transcribing, and translating archives from Italian and Latin to English and visiting libraries all over Italy searching for important documents relating to the famous Medici family and other important Florentine figures. That’s exactly how Noah Dasinger’s career began. In the years since his Italian adventure, he has earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Alabama with minors in history and Italian and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. He is currently a PhD student at Penn State University. Noah aspires to be a professor of early modern Italian art history. He says, “When you graduate high school, you have the time to cultivate various interests and hobbies,” and he encourages students to make the most of this opportunity.

Dr. Jay Copeland has lived out his own advice to other Gadsden City students, “Mess around and find out. You never know until you put in the work. I’d rather fail than live a life of what ifs.’” Jay’s “find out” attitude led him to play professional baseball in Germany, to Nepal volunteering with a Christan ministry, and now to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii where he owns SOZO Performance Therapy, a physical therapy and sports medicine practice. Dr. Copeland holds a bachelor’s in kinesiology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of South Alabama. His experience in training elite athletes includes coaching a team at the CrossFit Games World Championship. He invites his hometown to follow his professional journey at sozoperformance.com and on socials.

If you think elite athletes only care about their physical skills, you don’t know Darrell Smith. Yes, he was a tight end for the Clemson Tigers, but ask him about his college days and he’ll tell you he earned his bachelor’s in criminal justice. A 2009 Gadsden City High School graduate, Darrell now lives in Alexandria, Virginia where he conducts investigations for the federal government. Since college, he has worked in law enforcement and the insurance industry, including chasing high-profile fugitives for the most serious crimes. Along with his criminal justice career, he owns a family business with his wife. He encourages Gadsden City students to consider high-value careers or a trade. He suggests pursuing multiple streams of income and being nice to everyone you encounter. Darrell said, “It takes zero effort to be a nice person.”

Catina Thompson loves to help and serve others. Those traits led her to major in sociology at Mississippi State University. While at Mississippi State, Catina was a standout on the Bulldog women’s basketball team where she was the starting center and team captain. Following graduation, she served her community in Alabama and in Texas as a social worker. Catina says she has been privileged to help countless families from diverse economic backgrounds over the years. Currently, she owns and operates Little Minds Big Thoughts LLC, a daycare/preschool in Killeen, TX. Her advice to future GCHS graduates is to realize that you hold the power to shape your own future and not to let circumstances, others, or material possessions define or alter your path.

AnnaGrace Gardner made the most of opportunities that were afforded to her in high school, and she recommends that current and future GCHS students do that as well. AnnaGrace earned her bachelor’s degree at Samford University in just three years due to the college credit she earned through dual enrollment while in high school. She was also in the Health Science Academy where she took classes that prepared her for a career in the medical field. After earning her undergraduate degree in health science and her master’s of science in physician assistant studies, she began her career as a cardiothoracic surgery physician assistant at Gadsden Regional Medical Center. She says, “I took a position with a surgeon that I shadowed in high school thanks to the Health Science Academy at GCHS.” AnnaGrace aspires to become a preceptor so she can teach and mentor future PAs.

Desmond Oglesby is a perfect example of taking small step after small step in the right direction on his journey toward a successful career. After graduating from GCHS where he was on the baseball team, Desmond began his academic journey at Gadsden State Community College before transferring to the historic Rust College in Holly Springs, MS. While at Rust, he excelled on the baseball field and emerged as a proactive leader in various campus organizations. After his time at Rust, Desmond relocated to Memphis, TN. Since 2020, he has been part of First Horizon Bank holding multiple roles throughout his tenure. He now serves as AVP of Music, Sports, & Entertainment sectors in Atlanta, GA. In recognition of his exceptional performance, Desmond was named a 2023 Diamond Circle member and is now part of the exclusive Top 5 Inner Circle Bankers club. Desmond’s career aspiration is to one day own a professional sports team and his advice to current students is “don’t be afraid to take chances.”

Ajah Turner juggles a lot of balls, yet she manages to be successful in each of her many roles. She works full-time at UAB, she is a full-time nursing student, she is a mom to three children, and she has a side business called Embellish Prints by Ajah A. After a stint with Core Medical Services, LLC, Ajah now attends Herzing University. She is a certified nursing assistant, a certified phlebotomist, and a certified medical assistant. She aspires to be a licensed nurse. Ajah encourages future graduates to keep an open mind and be ready to learn, to network by reaching out and connecting with others in their field, and to remember that it is okay to make mistakes. “Making mistakes and learning from them is how we grow,” she says.

AbdulRahman “Rock” Muhammad offers these words of advice to current and future Gadsden City students: “Do not accept mediocrity. Always challenge yourself to be the best in whatever endeavor you choose.” These are words Rock lived by during his time at GCHS and has continued to live by since, and they have served him well. Rock attended The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in accounting. He currently resides in Augusta, GA, where he is the co-owner of two assisted living facilities. Rock says his career aspiration is to transform and elevate the consciousness of the least fortunate within the communities in which he serves.