April Alumni of the Month: Jokyra Scott
DPSF’s April DPS Alumni of the Month is Jokyra Scott! A proud graduate of Southern High School, Jokyra’s journey through Durham Public Schools began at Y.E. Smith Elementary and continued through Neal Middle School. Today, she serves as the Special Populations Coordinator at Hillside High School, where she has worked for 20 years, previously teaching special education and coaching girls’ soccer. In 2015, she was recognized as a semi-finalist for DPS Teacher of the Year, a testament to her deep dedication to her students and school community.
Jokyra reflects on her time in DPS as both a student and an educator, recalling the love and support she received at every level. At Southern, she was the second-ever female drum major, captain of the varsity soccer team, and involved in countless extracurriculars. Though she initially pursued a career in dentistry, she found her true calling back in Durham, where she began her teaching journey at Hillside.
Her passion for education and community service runs deep. In addition to her work in the classroom and on the field, Jokyra has led a female service organization at Hillside for two decades. She credits her former educators with inspiring her leadership and commitment to students' academic and personal growth.
Read our full interview with Jokyra below!
DPSF: Tell us about you - what DPS schools did you attend? What are you doing now?
Jokyra: I attended Y.E. Smith Elementary, Neal Middle, and Southern High School. I taught special education at Hillside High School for 15 years and now I am the Special Populations Coordinator at Hillside. This is 20 years in education for me (all at HHS).
DPSF: What does DPS or your school community mean to you? How has it helped shape you into who you are today?
Jokyra: My journey with DPS has had a lot of twists and turns. I started off in elementary school when Durham had "City and County" schools. I attended a "city" school that honestly probably didn't have all the resources that the "county" schools had. What my "city" school did have was love. All the educators at Y.E. Smith showed their students love and support. I connected with each and every teacher I had K through 5th grades. My mom was determined to have me go to a "county" school so once in middle school she made a way for me to go to Neal Middle School, a county school at the time. Soon after, Durham conformed to a better collective system and realized they needed to better support all schools and they became Durham Public Schools. Headed to high school, I then attended the regular ole Southern High School, now Southern School of Energy and Sustainability.
While at Southern I became involved in so many activities. By my senior year I had a list of extracurricular activities to add to my college applications. I was the 2nd ever female drum major of the band, captain of the varsity soccer team, a member of the sign language club, member of MSEN, member of the gospel choir, member of the art club, and office assistant for the guidance department. I loved it. Being involved in the school felt good. Still at that time becoming an educator didn't cross my mind.
I graduated from Southern and attended Winston-Salem State University on a band scholarship. At that time I thought I wanted to become a dentist so I majored in Biology. After completing my 4 years in undergraduate school at WSSU, I decided to go back home to Durham. I worked in a lab for a bit but quickly realized that wasn't my cup of tea. I was made aware of a teacher assistant position in an EC classroom at Hillside High School. I then enrolled into the NC Teach program at North Carolina Central University. This was the start of my journey as an educator.
This is now my 20th year in education. I was an EC teacher for almost 15 years and for the last 5 years I've been the schools Special Populations Coordinator. I decided to come out of the classroom a few years after being named Hillside's Teacher of the Year and a semi-finalist for Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year. I felt that I did what I need to do for my students and wanted to grow and learn more in other areas of education.
I've coached girls soccer for Hillside since starting working at HHS 20 years ago. The team has gone from no record of any wins as of 2008 to now having a record of 10-11-1 during the 2022-23 season. I also advise a service organization for females at Hillside and have done this for the 20 years Ive been there. Each month I plan community service projects for the girls to participate in. We have volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, the Food Bank, Durham Parks and Recreations, adopted a park to clean, raised money for a sickle cell awareness camp, and was named organization of the year by the Durham Rescue Mission in 2022. I try to show the students on and off the soccer field that Durham Public Schools educators care about each student's education and development. All things I feel that the DPS educators that taught me inspired me to do.
The DPS community means growth. It means change. It means responsibility. Responsibility to our students that we are committed to their education, growth, and development. Being a product of DPS has shaped me into who I am today by allowing me the opportunity to have educators in my past that gave me the tools needed to grow, adapt, and explore.
I love the positive changes DPS is making. DPS is a true community that helps one another. The students and staff at Hillside and in DPS are my second family for sure.
DPSF: What’s your favorite memory from your time at DPS?
Jokyra: While a student in Durham Public schools my favorite memories were probably the times that I lead Southern’s marching band as one of their drum majors. As an adult my favorite memory was being named as Hillside’s teacher of the year. I felt good that people recognized the hard work I put in and the love I had/have for education.
DPSF: Is there a teacher who influenced you most along the way? What's their name and how did they make a difference?
Jokyra: Kathy Williams (retired) - My 5th grade teacher who I asked to be my God-mother when I was in the 8th grade. She has been in my life since 5th grade and has taught me so much. Beyond academics she has shown me love and support throughout the many years I've known her.
Bill Graham (retired) - My varsity soccer coach probably doesn't even realize how much he influenced me to be who I am today. He was like a second dad in high school. His compassion as a coach taught me something about coaching, which I reflect back to every year that I've coached.
William Logan - The best Principal anyone could have worked under. Great listener and leader. Required you to think beyond your norm. He made me want to be a better educator. Made me go back and make sure I dotted every "I" and crossed every "t". Dr. Logan led you in a way that made you want to work hard so that when it was time to play you could relax because you knew the work was done.
DPSF: What’s one piece of advice you would give to current DPS students?
Jokyra: Don’t rush! Embrace it all. Gain all the experiences that you can while in Durham Public Schools. Life be “lifing” sometimes but you have to find the drive to keep grinding!
Are you interested in becoming a DPS Alumni of the Month? Find more information here: https://www.bullcityschools.org/alumni