Kaliece Angel Lockett is looking forward to exploring colleges to apply to and majors to study. As she begins her high school journey next August, this Sam Houston Middle School graduate has already begun gathering scholarships to fulfill her goals. Kaliece is this year’s recipient of the SchoolsWork Scholarship, which is worth a grand total of $25,000!
She describes the reaction she had to the giant check’s arrival: “When I was awarded with the SchoolsWork Scholarship, I was ecstatic and also surprised to be given such a big opportunity.” Kaliece says that being awarded this scholarship has also shown her that she’s improved and exhibited personal growth in herself over the years. She hopes to be a source of inspiration for her peers and family members.
The next goal on her list is to achieve a high GPA in high school and maintain good grades. Kaliece believes that by working hard and keeping a great GPA, she’ll find the confidence needed to keep striving forward. She looks forward to the many resources she’ll find in high school. Kaliece’s main and biggest inspiration is her family. “They have always been supportive and have shown my sisters and I how to be ourselves and never stop going for [your] target in the world.”
As a student in the pandemic, Kaliece has learned to keep striving forward despite the circumstances. Some challenges she faced this year while attending online classes included balancing her time and finding organizational tips. Kaliece successfully overcame those barriers and found motivation in her favorite teacher, Mr. Calaham.
Mr. Rashaad Calaham is the Houston MS Choir Director and this year’s Irving ISD District Teacher of the Year. We celebrate both the accomplishments of Kaliece and Mr. Calaham! She describes, “Mr. Calaham has helped me with outside school problems and in-school problems such as school work or teaching me beneficial life-lessons that all kids will soon need.”
Kaliece’s advice for incoming middle school students is to keep focused at all times and to give the AVID program on campus a try. She’s recognized that aside from the difficult times of your middle school years, the core experience comes from finding your true identity and being yourself. 
In her free time, Kaliece enjoys participating in the Rainbow Days Organization, playing sports, the culinary arts, binge watching TV shows, and Marvel & DC comics.
From the Irving Schools Foundation, we congratulate Kaliece and can’t wait to see the next chapter in her life! Congratulations!
