Among these students is Noor Bekheit, whose demonstrated leadership and academic excellence earned her full-ride scholarships to three universities including her final choice, Washington University in St. Louis. Noor views her time at DSHA as a critical period in which she found her voice. “The biggest thing I learned from DSHA was how to be an effective and empowering leader. I let people see a confident and capable Muslim woman doing everything and more,” said Noor. When asked to identify mentors at DSHA who impacted her journey, the graduate immediately identified Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Laemmar, social studies faculty members who guided Noor in class and in extracurricular opportunities such as Model UN. After spending time as a teacher and mentor for Noor, Mrs. Weiss could not deny the young woman’s impact. “Noor’s energy, positivity, and commitment to change the world in which we live and make the trajectory very positive makes me feel like the future is an incredibly bright one,” said the AP Human Geography teacher. 

Each year, Marquette University awards its Burke Scholarship to incoming first-year students who have a passion for social justice, a commitment to serving others, strong leadership skills, and an aspiration to pursue careers that benefit the public good. This year, a remarkable 20% of Burke Scholarship recipients were members of the DSHA Class of 2017: Alejandra Macias and Diana Perez. Each young woman cultivated a passion for social justice during her time at DSHA. Alejandra, who plans to study elementary education with an emphasis in Spanish, says her January Vocare experience in a kindergarten classroom helped her to make a difference in her community. “My time on Vocare is what really pushed me to apply for the Burke Scholarship, since both are service based,” said Alejandra. 

In March of 2017, the United States Naval Academy admitted twelve students from Wisconsin to its Class of 2021. Among those twelve, only one was female: Emma Hutchinson, DSHA Class of 2017. As a student of the Naval Academy, Emma will receive full tuition during her training as a midshipman. Emma ran cross-country during all four of her years at DSHA, and the sport developed both her leadership and athletic skills. “I realized through cross country that I could lead in a quiet way through getting to know each person and forming relationships with them,” Emma reflected. As she enters the Naval Academy and a sex ratio of three men to every one woman, Emma will represent DSHA as a confident and capable young woman devoted to serving her country. 

DSHA applauds the successes of its graduates, and particularly the personal and academic achievements of the Class of 2017.