Palmetto High School senior Makiya Alexander is the Silver Knight nominee in the Vocational/Technical category.
Alexander’s Silver Knight project is to get more African Americans to donate blood in order to help save the lives of those who are stricken with Sickle Cell disease.
“I love helping people,” she says. “I’m a very caring person. Sickle Cell runs in the family.
My mom, brother, and aunt have the trait.”
In fact, her cousin has the disease and needs monthly transfusions.
“African American blood is needed,” she says.
One of the major reasons African American blood is needed is because African Americans have the universal blood type – either O negative or O positive.
When considering a community service project, she talked to her mom about her project and she encouraged her to take it on.
So now, when it’s time for blood drives at school or in the community, she goes out in advance and recruits people to give blood.
“I go out in the community and I ask people to donate blood,” she says. “I do that at school, too. I ask people to donate.”
She also creates posters to put on the walls at school as a month in advance. Sometimes she asks the TV Production staff to create a public service announcement about the blood drive. But she’s found the best tool for recruiting people to give blood is talking to potential donors.
“I go around to classes and ask people to donate.”
The blood drives take place every two months. The most recent blood drive was in October and the next one is expected in January.
The majority of her recruits come back again and again to donate. The only ones who don’t had problems donating the first time.
She’s a member of the Leo Club, which organizes the blood drives at Palmetto. She’s also a member of the National Honor Society, and Health Occupational Students of America, known as HOSA.
Alexander participated in a HOSA competition that is styled like a medical Jeopardy.
“Last year I competed and my group received third place,” she says.
She’s the treasurer in No Place for Hate, a club for allies of the LGBTQ community.
“We don’t hate anybody,” she says. “We love everybody equally.”
Club members have events to spread their message to fellow students. They recently handed out candy canes with cards saying there is No Place for Hate, You’re Loved, Have a Nice Day, or You’re Beautiful.
After high school, Alexander wants to become a geriatric nurse.
“That’s my dream career,” she says. “I love elderly people, they have such a good spirit.
They have a way about them.”
The passing of her elderly uncle convinced her to switch from becoming a pediatrician to geriatric nurse.
Alexander has applied to the nursing school at Florida Atlantic University. Her college list includes Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, and more.
On Saturdays, Alexander attends dual enrollment classes in Anatomy and Physiology at the Homestead Campus. Other days she takes college algebra at the Kendall Campus.
On Sundays, she volunteers at Homestead Hospital. While there, she takes on tasks assigned to her by the nurses or the Volunteer Office.
Alexander is also the manager of the Palmetto Track team.
“I talked to the coach and I asked if he needed help,” she says. “I asked if I could be the track manager.”
To help the track and cross-country team, she works the concession stands at school events to raise money for the teams.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
