Page 36 - Florida Sentinel 5-7-21

National
At just 12-years old, Alena Wicker is set to start college at Arizona State University, majoring in astronomical and planetary science and chem- istry. She plans to be an engi- neer for NASA someday.
“I always dreamed of being an engineer because through- out my life I liked the build- ing,” Alena told 11Alive about her goal to work at NASA.
“She just had a gift for num- bers and Lego and science so I started nurturing that gift,” said her mother Daphne Mc- Quarter. Since she was 4- years old, it had always been her dream as she was building
A Black church leader had to resign after it was revealed that he was sexting a volunteer, sending her a naughty picture by “mistake.”
Darnell Barrett was a pas- tor and creative director for Hillsong Church in Montclair, New Jersey, before sending out eye-popping pictures of himself in Nike underwear, NewsOne reported.
The unnamed woman who worked at the church from 2014 to 2016 claimed he sent her a private Instagram story, showing two pictures of him- self in Nike Pro tights but swore it was a mistake.
When Alena finished high school through homeschool classes, she began pursuing that dream and will be starting classes at ASU this summer. She expects to finish college at the age of 16.
“I’ll be driving in one of those future space mobiles by the time that I graduate college,” Alena said, adding that she wants to build rovers that could be sent to other planets as well.
More than that, Alena is also very active on her Face- book page where she plans to launch a podcast to share her journey.
“Hey! I think I might’ve added you to my close friends list by accident. I’m so sorry. Trying to figure out how the hell to edit it,” Barrett texted the woman back in February.
The conversation became more awkward as the pastor tried to explain he sends “some real raw s**t [..] to my friends [,]man.”
The woman originally thought to move past the awk- ward moment but had second thoughts about leaving the sit- uation alone, but she decided to cuss out the “naughty” pas- tor.
Student Set To Become First Black Woman In Virginia With Biophysical Chemistry Degree
JAY-ANNE JOHNSON
ALENA WICKER
NASA-sized Legos.
Early next month, Jay- Anne Johnson will gradu- ate from James Madison University as the first Black woman to complete a bache- lor’s degree in biophysical chemistry.
“Someone from Jamaica who came here as a kid, emi- grated and everything, can still shock the world and shock herself in a sense. And if I can do it, anyone can do it,” Johnson told Virginia news station WHSV.
Johnson discovered her passion for biophysical chem-
istry as a student in high school.
“I couldn’t really decide, ‘Do I want to do physics? Do I want to do chemistry? Do I want to do biology?’ So, I was like ‘Let me see if biophysical chemistry exists,’ so I kind of Googled it one night,” she said.
The goal of a biophysical chemist is to “provide physi- cal explanations for the ways in which important biological systems function,” according to Yale’s chemistry depart- ment.
DARNELL BARRETT
Black Pastor Becomes Chairman Of The Board Running The World’s Largest Confederate Monument
REV. ABRAHAM MOSLEY
In a brief year that’s already seen a number of historic firsts for Black people, the country’s racist Confederate legacy is now getting in on the act.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has named a Black person to be chairman of the board of di- rectors that governs Stone Mountain Park, home to the world’s largest Confederate monument that also pays trib- ute to the Ku Klux Klan. The Rev. Abraham Mosley will be the first person who is not a
white man to lead the Stone Mountain Memorial Associa- tion Board of Directors when he is sworn in.
Mosley was already a mem- ber of the board — one of two Black people — but was ele- vated by the governor amid a racial reckoning (not to men- tion the state earning an anti- Black label following a string of election-related controver- sies including new laws that have been described as racist in nature.)
12-Year-Old Black Girl Enrolls At Arizona State University To Study Chemistry And Engineering
Black Pastor Sent X-Rated Picture To Church Volunteer; Resigned After Getting Called Out
PAGE 16-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021