Basilica

'Ascension Encouraged Me to Dream Big'

Per’Jah Hilliard, Ascension Class of 2020, excelled at DeLaSalle High School and now attends Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black and Catholic college in the U.S. She is majoring in biology, her first step toward medical school. Her dream is to become a neurosurgeon. 

“Ascension encouraged me to dream big by bringing in various speakers to talk to us about their careers,” Per’Jah said. “Also seeing graduates come back and tell us what degree they were pursuing and what they wanted to be inspired me to think outside the box.”

Her accomplishments to date are already too numerous to list; they include being a Flaherty Scholar and Wallin Scholar, earning a 4.0+ cumulative GPA at DeLaSalle, and receiving an Islander Award. 

“Your dreams are worth the effort, regardless of the time it takes to achieve them,” she said.