Shining Knights: DWSA senior Arionna Strong blends artistic passion with academic drive

When Arionna Strong, a senior at Denzel Washington School of the Arts presented her team’s research at Mount Sinai headquarters last summer, the moment marked the culmination of months of work and a clear turning point in her academic journey.

Arionna and her all-female research team earned the Most Innovative Research Award for a project examining employment barriers faced by people with disabilities, an experience that helped solidify her interest in public health and community-centered problem solving.

“That project was one of my biggest accomplishments,” said Arionna, who has attended DWSA since seventh grade. “We were partnered with Mount Sinai through the Seeds of Fortune scholars program, and we had to find a real issue in our community and figure out how to address it.”

The nonprofit program empowers high school students – particularly young women of color – with financial literacy, college prep and career development skills.

The project, which required two months of research and collaboration, concluded with an in-person presentation in New York City. “It was also a competition, and my group ended up winning. Getting that recognition made everything feel real,” Arionna said.

Inside the school building, her leadership often takes the form of choreography and coordination. A co-captain of the Hip Hop Club, she helps choreograph routines and leads performances across Mount Vernon.

“We take anyone. You don’t have to be a pro,” she said. “We choreograph pieces and set them on students, and we perform at CityFest, Black History Month events, things the city hosts. If people are willing to try, we welcome them.”

Her involvement, Arionna added, goes beyond the spotlight.

“I help backstage, help other girls with their makeup for showtime, make sure everything is coordinated. I try to be as involved as possible wherever I can help,” she said.

That same impulse to serve carries into her community work. Arionna has volunteered at the Westchester Community Health Center, assisting with food pantry days, data entry and pediatric outreach.

She also serves as president of Sigma Gamma Rho’s youth affiliate chapter, where she coordinates service projects ranging from MLK Day hygiene-kit drives to school-based positivity campaigns.

“We do a lot of service-led projects,” she said. “I’ve been part of it since freshman year, so this being my last year, I really wanted to lead and give back.”

Balancing leadership roles with academics has been demanding for Arionna, who is currently balancing four AP courses, including AP Calculus, AP Literature and Composition, AP Psychology and AP Audio/Visual.

“I kind of got a little too busy during senior year,” she admitted with a laugh. “It’s a lot.”
Arionna plans to major in public health or health sciences, a decision shaped by both her research experience and her enrollment in an EMT training program.

“I wanted exposure to what the medical field is really like,” she said. “I’m not sure if I want to be behind the scenes or more hands-on, but I’m hoping college will guide me.”

She has already been accepted to Fordham University, Providence College, Michigan State University and Buffalo State, and has applied to a wide range of selective institutions, including Columbia, Barnard, Brown, Duke and Vanderbilt.

“I applied to about 35 schools,” Arionna said. “I had the fee waiver, so I figured I might as well take advantage of it.”

The summer before senior year brought unexpected challenges. After her mother, a nurse, lost her job, Arionna and her family were forced to leave their home, and she temporarily lived with her father in Harlem, a nearly two-hour commute each way to school.

“It was really difficult,” she said. “My sister and I weren’t familiar with the subway, and we were traveling by ourselves. One day we ended up in Brooklyn instead of Mount Vernon. It was scary, but it was also liberating. I live in New York. I want to be a New Yorker. I want to take the subway. That experience taught me independence in a way I didn’t have before.”

As a performing arts student, Arionna found inspiration early on through school-sponsored Broadway trips.

“My first Broadway show was ‘Aladdin.’ It was magical. It made me proud to be in a performing arts school, because we get to recreate things like that,” said Arionna, who has performed in productions such as “Annie” and Broadway reviews featuring pieces from “Hamilton,” “MJ the Musical” and “Hairspray.”

“I like performing because you get to put yourself into a character,” she said. “It’s you, but it’s also a form of you.”

As graduation approaches, Arionna reflected on her time at Denzel with gratitude.

“I’ve been here since seventh grade, so I’ve seen a lot. It’s a big school, but over time it becomes like one big family. I met some of my best friends here,” said Arionna, who carries forward the same mindset that helped her win a research competition and navigate hardship alike.

“You miss the shots you don’t take,” she said. “So you might as well try.”