Chicago native Karechia Wallace-Warthon is one of the top 10 graduates of the Spelman College class of 2018. The political science major will join the class of 472 students during Spelman’s 131st commencement on Sunday, May 20, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.
A graduate of Tinley Park High School in Tinley Park, Illinois, Wallace–Warthon completed her undergraduate studies at Spelman College in just three years with a 3.92 grade point average. The honor student has accepted a position as an elementary school teacher with Teach for America, with the hopes of strengthening and supporting the movement for educational equity in low-income communities and developing future leaders.
Wallace-Warthon says Spelman laid the foundation that that has inspired her to continue her education and pursue a juris-doctorate degree at Georgetown Law in Washington D.C. in fall 2019.
My studies at Spelman College are strong and ripe due to the rich 
foundation of the College and its solid legacy, she said. This foundation and solid legacy have prepared me for my educational and professional journey.
During her matriculation at Spelman, Wallace-Warthon was a Spelman Peer Assistant Leader (PALs) and mentored 12 incoming first-year students from the class of 2020. She was also selected to participate in the Council on International Educational Exchange Program and traveled to East Legon, Ghana, in West Africa where she instructed elementary students in English and math.
While at Spelman, Wallace-Warthon also traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the Spelman on the Hill contingent to meet with U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district, John Lewis and his staff. She used the opportunity to lobby for nutritional equality and the eradication of food deserts. During her senior year, Wallace-Warthon served as the marketing manager for Georgia State Representative Kim Schofield’s political campaign.
“Spelman has prepared me for corporate and community leadership,” said Wallace-Warthon. “I plan to use my degree and skills that I have learned at Spelman by always persevering through rough times and recognizing that I can grow in any environment in which I am placed.”
She was named to the Dean’s List throughout her three years at Spelman and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
In addition, she is a UNCF Ossie Davis Scholar, Toyota/UNCF Scholar Riggio Scholar, Tina and Tracey Blackwell Scholar and Trinity United Church of Christ Scholar. She is also a volunteer with Hosea Feed the Hungry, St. Francis Church and M. Agnes Jones Elementary School.