Say Yes Alumni Spotlight

Martikah Williams, a Nottingham High School graduate, demonstrates Say Yes Syracuse’s profound impact on her educational and personal growth journey.

In high school, Martikah was involved in numerous extracurricular activities, including basketball, theatre, honor society, track and field, vocal jazz, rocket club, NSBE, film club, and a suicide prevention group.

She learned about Say Yes Syracuse through her time in the Syracuse City School District. “Being a student in SCSD, it was pretty regularly talked about throughout most of my time in high school,” she said. Martikah saw the scholarship program as an opportunity to lessen her family’s financial barriers that stood in the way of higher education and professional career.

Say Yes Syracuse provides full-tuition scholarships from a range of over 100 public and private college and university partners for eligible graduates to attend. The scholarships provide broad access for students who may otherwise have not been able to afford college due to significant economic and racial disparities.

When application season rolled around, she filled out the Say Yes application, landing her first scholarship to SUNY Albany, where she would major in Theatre. In college, she was actively involved in various organizations, such as the University Dance Council, Black Theatre Productions, and the NAACP chapter. She also worked as a TA in the scene shop, contributing to sets and lighting for shows.

Martikah shares powerful advice for high school students and young professionals, drawing from her own experience. In her junior year of college, she was put on academic probation due to her declining grades and health. Eventually, she was academically dismissed in 2016. She recalls feeling ashamed and unsure of her next steps, saying, “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I had to go home.”

While she looked for a full-time job, she continued singing, dancing, and writing at home. “I realized that even though my aspirations for higher education didn’t turn out the way I hoped, my dreams didn’t disappear. So I found new avenues to pursue those dreams and learned so many things about myself along the way that led me to new dreams,” she explains.

That same year, she took a full-time job at King + King Architects, staying for four years until the pandemic.

“It was so funny to me because originally I was going to college for engineering and architecture – I couldn’t lie to myself though, I love the theater too much,” she shares. She eventually co-founded the Black Artist Collective CNY (BAC) and then trained at the Stella Adler Center for the Arts Professional Conservatory in NYC, working for Gensler until she became a full-time artist and entrepreneur.

Reflecting on the role of Say Yes Syracuse in her journey, Martikah acknowledges, “Say Yes to Education gave my parents a lot of peace of mind that my tuition was covered. All they had to do was cover the rest of my school bills, and they fortunately were in a position to do that. So I got to go to the college of my choosing with no worries, which was huge!”

Today, Martikah runs BAC alongside her talented peers. She primarily works in theater as an actor, singer, writer, and director and is also a visual artist with a passion for charcoal. Last year, she curated the traveling group exhibition Paired Pieces for BAC, centered on the history of the 15th Ward; she has a few pieces of her work included in the exhibition. She recently self-produced her first full-length play, FINALS, which she is now pitching to independent theater houses in NYC.

Looking ahead, Martikah has many goals and aspirations for the future including traveling and building her relationships, marrying her partner, and starting a family. She recently re-evaluated her goals with her manager, feeling both overwhelmed and excited about the future.

Martikah is now applying for readmission to complete her bachelor’s degree with a combined master’s degree at SUNY Albany eight years after being dismissed. “God willing, I’ll be starting school again this fall,” she says.

She hopes her story reminds others that pursuing your dreams is never too late. She emphasizes that no one else can live your life for you, so it’s up to you to discover what’s best for where you’re headed. “Do not disregard your well-being in order to present yourself as having everything together! Find someone you can confide in, take your time, and say what you need to say,” Martikah notes.

Grateful for the opportunities she has been given, Martikah remains committed to giving back to her community and inspiring others to pursue their dreams.