A-Team Alumni Spotlight: Kamerin Aiken (Class of 2019)

"You have to be curious, you have to be open, you have to expand your horizon, whether that’s going out of your city, going out of your neighborhood, trying a new restaurant, or just something that can boost your confidence. That’s the main point," said Kamerin Aiken, when asked what words of advice she would give A-Team Scholars about to graduate high school.

Aiken was the third highest earner from the A-Team Scholars Class of 2019, leaving the program with ~$2,240 to use towards her college tuition. Now entering her junior year at University of Memphis, Aiken is ready to use her internship experience and work ethic to become a leader. We sat down with the South Side-raised student to hear about life after A-Team. Click "Read More" to see the full story!

Earning in the A-Team

In the 5th grade, Aiken started earning A-Team scholarships dollars as a student at William H. Brown STEM Magnet School. Despite living in the South Side of the city, Aiken attended the West Side school because her mother, Ms. Danielle Smith-Aiken, was a teacher and the JRJF liaison for Brown. Students in grades 4-12 are awarded scholarship money through the A-Team based on scholastic achievement, character and integrity. During their time in the program, Aiken and her fellow A-Team Scholars received receive $50 for every “A” and $25 for every “B” earned per quarter in Reading, Math, Writing and Science.

As a part of the A-Team, Aiken discovered the subjects she was most interested in. Participating in some of the S.T.E.A.M. activities (such as Space Camp and S.T.E.A.M. Camp), Aiken realized she was more into the numbers than the science. "I realized I wasn't a science person, so I decided to stick with the math, the accounting, the real-life things that I know I'm going to need," said the William H. Brown student. ​

The Ultimate Self-Motivator

Aiken is a determined, self-motivated student. Reflecting on her time the A-Team, Aiken recalls herself as, "a person that just got thrown into everything. I was part of the robotics camp. There was the Christmas festival I went to every year. I did the Space Camp and the S.T.E.A.M. Camp. I was the person where they were like: Kamerin can do it!"

But for the A-Team Scholar, the money was never her focus. "I stopped thinking about the money because it wasn't a constant thing, and I didn't see that connection directly. It was never on the front of my mind since I'm self motivated, so I like to do things myself and if the outcome is good (a.k.a getting money for good grades), then that's as plus," said Aiken. 

William H. Brown Principal Latoya Lyons, Kamerin Aiken, and Mrs. Deloris Jordan at the 2019 A-Team Graduation Dinner
​

Focused on self-motivation, Aiken graduated from Brown and attended South Shore International High School. Throughout her four years there, she continued to earn scholarship dollars through the A-Team. By the time she graduated, she had earned ~$2,240, making her the third highest earner of her graduating class. She would then go on to use that money at Dillard University for her first two years of college. Zeroing in on her interest in mathematics, Aiken pursued her degree in Finance and Supply Management.

But when COVID-19 hit and students were sent home, Aiken felt more motivated than ever. With all of her schoolwork now online for safety precautions, she decided it was time to make some changes for her own career path.

Exploring as a Leader

​"So after COVID hit and everyone went home, I decide to transfer schools and go to University of Memphis and I'm continuing my degree there. I'm going to be remote again this semester due to the fact that I have an internship with FedEx that is my primary focus," said Aiken about recent changes she's made to her career path. Even with her internship and online classes, Aiken also is a supervisor at CVS, proving once again she is self motivated and driven. She also had the chance to dwell on her leadership skills through the Tiger Leadership Institute, a University of Memphis virtual series where students workshopped their leadership skills specifically towards social change and giving back to the community.

For the FedEx internship, Aiken is mostly doing internal auditing. She states, "It's a bracket of consulting, so really it's just a mix of everything and I'm always involved. There's never one set plan for the job." Being able to adapt both in school during the pandemic and in her everyday work shows that Aiken's motivation is consistent. Thinking about her future, the University of Memphis students exclaims,
​

"My ultimate goal is to be in a leadership position someway somehow with a job or career that combines both my major and my minor. So dealing with the manufacturing part of supply chain management, and also dealing with the money and financial side of profit and service. Upon graduation, I can continue to do internal audit, and I’ve been looking at forensic accounting, I’ve even been looking at banking as well given that it’s all part of accounting, so it’s really just making my way and finding what I like. Each aspect of accounting is different, so by taking these little steps that’s what I’m going to try to do."
​

Aiken's last word of advice for current A-Team Scholars is to explore. She decided to venture outside of Chicago to see more of the world and be adventurous. She believes that is one of the best ways to grow and find your passion. The James R. Jordan Foundation is so excited to see Aiken find her way and continue to grow as a self-motivated leader.

Learn more about the A-Team: https://www.jamesjordanfoundation.com/a-team-scholars
Support the Foundation: https://www.jamesjordanfoundation.com/donate