Education Rooted in Endurance, Patience, and Purpose
The Founder’s Story
Aya Akoma Academy is an Afrocentric microschool designed for students in grades 6–12. We are intentionally small, allowing us to know each student deeply and tailor learning to their strengths, needs, and identity. Here, education goes beyond memorization. Students engage in critical thinking, real-world problem solving, and meaningful exploration that connects to their lives and communities.
We believe that confidence is built through both challenge and support. That identity is not separate from education—it is essential to it. And that when students feel grounded in who they are, they are better prepared to shape where they are going.
Opening in Atlanta, Georgia in August 2026, Aya Akoma Academy is more than a school—it is a response to what’s been missing.
It is a commitment to doing education differently.
It is a space where students can grow with both strength and care.
It is a vision rooted in endurance, guided by patience, and driven by purpose.
I didn’t set out to start a school and tutoring service—I set out to answer a question that kept showing up in my classroom:
Why are so many capable students disconnected from learning?
As a math educator in Atlanta, working with middle school students and later as an SAT instructor, I had the opportunity to teach a wide range of learners. Again and again, I encountered bright, thoughtful students who struggled—not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked connection. Many of them didn’t see themselves reflected in what they were learning. Others had begun to internalize the belief that they simply “weren’t good at school.”
Those experiences stayed with me.
I saw students who could think deeply but hesitated to speak.
Students who could solve complex problems but doubted their own intelligence.
Students who had stopped asking questions altogether.
Over time, it became clear: the issue wasn’t the students—it was the system.
I began to imagine something different. A learning environment where students felt seen, challenged, and affirmed. A place where academic rigor coexisted with cultural identity. A space where students didn’t have to choose between being successful and being themselves.
That vision became Aya Akoma Academy.
The name itself reflects the foundation of what this school stands for. Aya, an Adinkra symbol meaning endurance, represents the resilience our students carry and the perseverance we cultivate in them. Akoma, meaning patience and tolerance, speaks to the kind of community we are building—one rooted in understanding, emotional intelligence, and respect for self and others.
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