“I was molded by Spelman to be ambitious, adaptable and self-aware” are the words Salutatorian Jaimie Crawford chooses to describe her journey from the moment she entered Spelman College as a first-year student to today as she serves as salutatorian of the graduating class of 2022.
During her studies at Spelman, Crawford, a psychology major and management and organization minor from Atlanta, Georgia, has held several leadership and service positions, among them Student Government Representative and member of the Alpha Lambda Honor Society and the National Society of Leadership and Success; representative and mentor of Ladybugs Mentoring Organization; tutor at the Westside Atlanta Charter School; and a UNCF Panda-Cares Scholar.
In the summer of 2020, Crawford assisted Dr. Nicole LaBeach, mentor Crystal Khalil, and a team of Black professionals in the coordination of an International Slumber Party that connected over 1.1 million young minorities in thirty-nine countries with a network of sponsors and mentors.
Crawford's most impactful experience at Spelman was Spelbound, the popular event that is attended by students who have been approved for admission to Spelman. It includes a tour of the campus, presentations by faculty on courses across the majors, information about tuition and fees, and a performance by the Spelman College Glee in historic Sisters Chapel.
The magic she experienced during Spelbound inspired her to be a “choice” and to make a commitment to excellence in all courses in which she would enroll during her years at Spelman. It was at Spelbound that Crawford took her first step toward the excellence which celebrates her as salutatorian of the historic graduating class of Spring 2022.
As a psychology major and management and organization minor with emphasis on industrial organizational psychology, Crawford will work with Black businesses with the goal of improving their productivity and establishing generational wealth within the Black community.” More specifically, she wants to improve “conditions in which Black women and Black men work and increase the job satisfaction of minority employees in corporate America.”
After graduation, Crawford will begin working as a strategic source analyst for The Home Depot. In this role, she will study firsthand the meaning of work efficacy, positive work relationships, and job satisfaction.
As she revisits classes and experiences during her four years at Spelman, Crawford credits God, her family, Westlake High School, and Spelman for her growth as a scholar and for the honor of being named salutatorian of the Spelman graduating class of 2022.
When asked what advice she would give students who will begin their studies at Spelman in fall 2022, Crawford answers:
Go at your own pace and never compare yourself to anyone. If we do, we could be unaware of our individual strengths and talents and the goals we want to complete.” She remembers hearing about Spelman students who received internships with top corporations, started nonprofits, traveled the world, and made grand strides in life when they were my age and even younger. As she celebrated their success, she worried “if I were doing enough to achieve success, and I wondered how when the doors to success would open for me. This thinking put me in a spiraling cycle of fear. I was confused about my own achievements because of what I called the imposter syndrome. To escape this confusion, misdirection and even pain, I learned to look neither left nor right, but to look up and then walk straight in a path that was uniquely designed for my journey to success and meaning. I understood why my mother always told me that comparison is a thief of joy.
This is why I would advise incoming students to have fun, and enjoy life to the fullest, and enjoy the moment. Until we stop comparing our lives to the lives of others -- whose full or real life we do not and cannot know -- we cannot know the peace
that gives us not only joy, but also belief in the dreams and goals we have set for our lives.