Mati’ah Hemphill

Her name is Mati’ah Hemphill.  She has long pretty hair and light brown eyes.  She is 15 years old and lives in Seattle, Washington.  She was born on April 21st in Kansas City, Missouri.  She came to Seattle when she was 18 months old with her mother, Tywana Hemphill, her brother, Ronnie Hemphill, and her grandfather, who went by the nickname Papa.  He  was in the Navy.  Mati’ah never got to meet her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Her mother moved to Seattle because she wanted to start fresh and raise her kids better. When she moved to Seattle, she lived in the South Park community With her mom, brother and grandfather.

She moved to the Skyway neighborhood when she was 13 years old, where she currently lives and attends Rainier Beach High School as a 10th graders in the Rainier Beach community.  She sees her school as a good school.  The supportive staff and the teachers actually want the best for you and help you a lot.  The neighborhood, however, is another story.  The Rainier Beach community is surrounded by things happening unexpectedly, like all the fighting, shooting, and young kids that are in gangs roaming the streets.  But Rainier Beach is also known for the parks, gardens, lakes and the beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.

Mati’ah knew she didn’t want to end up like some people in her community or at her school, so she tried her best to stay on track.  Her mother always told her, “Don’t be like me, be better than me.”  Mati’ah’s mom graduated from high school when she was pregnant with Ronnie, and Mati’ah’s father was always getting kicked out of school for the poor decisions that he made.  As for Mati’ah, she makes honor roll In school, started her first job at Tiny Tots Daycare, and spends time with her best friend, Akea Gaines, hanging out, going to the mall or the movies, and just having fun.