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NyAsia Chambers said it felt unreal to have been chosen as LaFayette High School’s Class of 2022 salutatorian. She said she was “really, really” proud of herself. Interestingly, she wasn’t always such a high-achieving student.

“I did get Cs and stuff that I’m not very proud of when I was younger,” she said. “But when I got to eighth grade, I came to the realization that, ‘Okay, if you want something, you have to go get it.’”

Chambers said her most positive experience in high school was how friendly everyone was. She described LaFayette High School as having a family-like atmosphere.

Chambers couldn’t pick a single greatest achievement from her time at LaFayette High.

“Everything I have done in high school I feel like has been great, from all extracurricular activities that I do, from graduating,” she said.

Chambers has two favorite faculty and staff members at LaFayette High: Math teacher Dr. Daniel Bass and counselor LaWendy Willis.

“For Dr. Bass, I would say he’s special because he takes his time to teach you and make sure you understand the math,” she said. “He doesn’t teach you and then say, ‘Hey, here’s a test.’ … And for Ms. Willis, this is her first year here with us, and she came in and acted like she knew us. She acted like family.”

An obstacle Chambers had to overcome in high school was the COVID-19 pandemic and having to take virtual classes as a result.

“If you come from being in a class, being in the teacher’s space… I learn one-on-one,” she said. “So being on the computer, learning like that is kind of difficult for me. I like to learn face-to-face and being able to hear you and look at you while you talk to me.”

She said her family, especially her mother, LaKeisha Chambers, has motivated her to succeed.

Chambers would tell someone that if they’re looking for a school with a family-like atmosphere, LaFayette High School is the place to be. She would tell current LaFayette High School students to have good school attendance and study habits.

Chambers was involved in several extracurricular activities.

“I’ve been in band since seventh grade,” Chambers said. “I played clarinet, and I played trumpet and I was a drum major this year.”

Chambers also said she was involved with the track team, the Student Government Association, the National Honor Society, the choir and Unite Incorporated, an organization that she said helps students prepare for college.

Chambers plans to go to Troy University in the fall to earn a bachelor of science in nursing degree because she enjoys helping people and getting to know them.

“One thing I would change about the world is the way people look at people,” she said. “Like, your vision of somebody. If I look at someone, I don’t want to automatically think something bad about them. I wish everybody could look at somebody and be like, ‘Hey, I like this about them.’”

She added that she hopes everyone will succeed in life.

Chambers was born and raised in LaFayette.