Germirrah Cannon of Charleston loves a challenge, and she has proven to be quite adept at meeting and overcoming any that she faces.
As a 16-year-old junior at Charleston High School, she met all eligibility requirements for graduation and was set to walk across the auditorium stage this month — before COVID-19 blew up the second semester.
She will still get her high school diploma a year early, minus the pomp and circumstance. It is part of a dream.
“When I was in ninth grade, I knew I wanted to graduate early,” Cannon said recently. “When I had to pick classes in the 10th and 11th grades, I made sure that I picked all the classes that were required to graduate early, and that all my grades were where they needed to be.”
To further ensure success, the Superintendent’s List scholar also took dual enrollment college courses through Coahoma Community College and Mississippi Valley State University.
Before the novel coronavirus derailed the 2019-20 school term, Cannon enjoyed several successes.
In January, she was a unanimous selection for the 2nd Congressional District’s first-place winner in the 2020 Mississippi School Boards Association Student Essay/Speaking Contest.
Cannon said she entered the contest for two reasons.
“I love writing, and looking at the requirements of the essay, it made me want to take on the challenge, to challenge myself to be better,” she said.
Framing her 611-word essay around the mandated topic asking whether freedom of expression can and should coexist with civility, Cannon answered in the affirmative.
“I answered ... that we should be respectful of other people’s beliefs ... to show that freedom of speech and civility can coexist,” she explained.
As one of four $1,000 cash prize winners — one from each of the state’s congressional districts — Cannon said she received an email notifying her of the win.
“I was kind of nonchalant about it when I first heard,” she noted.
Then, when she told CHS Principal Mark Beechem and school counselor Kim Haley, they bubbled over with excitement at the good news.
“When they got happy, I got really happy,” Cannon said.
The former Tallahatchie County Spelling Bee champion has not only excelled academically, she also has skins on the wall athletically.
As a member of the CHS Lady Tigers powerlifting team, she placed second in her 123-pound weight class at the March 5 North Half meet at East Union. Her best lifts totaling 560 pounds — 220 pounds in the squat, 90 in the bench press and 250 in the deadlift — punched her ticket to the state powerlifting championships in Jackson. Unfortunately, that April 18 event was cancelled as part of the statewide school shutdown.
Although she missed out on a chance to compete for a state medal in powerlifting, Cannon said the journey itself proved to be very satisfying.
“I enjoy working out in general, and I like the competition,” she said of her interest in powerlifting. “I like competing because I like to see what I’m capable of and the things that I can do.”
She will continue to push the envelope after leaving CHS.
Cannon plans to attend the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration, where she will pursue a degree while majoring in real estate and minoring in entrepreneurship.
Without specifying her career goal, she said she hopes to return to her hometown and challenge other students to set goals and work hard.
“I plan on coming back to Charleston and helping other kids in high school, encourage them to do their work and show them that no matter what the challenge is, you can be anything you want and you can succeed,” Cannon noted.
Improving her school district is on her radar, too.
“A part of that is giving the school money to help, not only with sports but with academics, because I know we lack things like teachers and books,” she said. “My goal is ... to raise money and teach other kids to raise money so we can have the things we need and the resources for our kids to learn, and we actually can become a B school the way we’re trying to do now.”
IN THE PHOTO: Germirrah Cannon poses for a photo outside Charleston High School. (Photo by Jerrerico Chambers)
