Amirah Newton

East Ridge senior Amirah Newton is rewriting what it means to be a strong woman — mind, body and spirit.

Athlete, scholar, leader and dreamer, she wears many titles with grace. As flag football captain, state-qualifying weightlifter, varsity cheerleader, student historian, gospel choir and National Honor Society member — all while maintaining a 4.3 GPA — Amirah’s drive proves that true power comes from purpose. 

“I’ve always been driven,” Amirah says. “But I also had people around me who believed in me before I believed in myself.”

Amirah’s sports journey started during her freshman year with girls’ flag football, a sport she’d never played but had long wanted to try. 

“I did powderpuff in middle school and always wanted to do more,” she says. “When we finally got a team in high school, I knew I had to join.”

She wasn’t initially a star. 

“I’ll be honest, I couldn’t catch a ball to save my life,” she laughs. “There was this one game where the ball came flying and it just went straight through my hands. My mom yelled from the stands, ‘Take her out, coach!’ I knew I wasn’t going to be a wide receiver.”

But what she lacked in hands, she made up for in speed. Her coaches moved her to rusher and everything clicked. 

“That’s when I realized this is where I belong,” she says. “I could run fast, read the play and just go after the flag.” 

By junior year, she was one of the top 50 rushers in the state, with 58 tackles, many made while playing on a fractured ankle. 

Her toughness didn’t go unnoticed. Around that same time, a coach suggested Amirah try weightlifting. She was hesitant, but the idea stuck.

“I grew up around the sport,” she says. “My cousin’s a national champion and I figured I’d give it a try.”

Under the guidance of Coach Braswell and Coach Anderson, Amirah found her second athletic home. 

“My coaches told me, ‘You’re strong. You could break records,’” she says. “At first, I didn’t believe them. But they saw it in me, and they never let me quit.”

Earlier this year, she qualified for state and broke all three records in the 154-lb. class in snatch, clean and jerk and bench.

She describes her first state meet as “astronomical.”

“It was overwhelming,” she says. “All these incredible athletes around me in Lakeland. I couldn’t believe I was there with them. It made me realize how far I’d come.”

Amirah was already a seasoned athlete before flag football or weightlifting, just in a different arena. She started cheerleading at age six and never stopped.

“I’ve been cheering for 10 years, both school and competitive teams,” she says. “It gave me my first sense of community. I learned discipline, confidence and how to support others, even when you’re not the one in the spotlight.”

That early experience balancing performance and pressure prepared her for the high expectations she’d later take on, not just in sports, but in life.

Despite everything she juggles, Amirah maintains a 4.3 GPA and ranks among the top of her class. She’s deeply involved in the Honor Society for math, science, English and social studies as well as the Minority Student Union and gospel choir. 

Academically, she’s already thinking ahead. She’s been accepted into multiple colleges and plans to study political science with a focus on law. 

“I love to debate,” she says. “My teachers noticed it early. They’d say, ‘Amirah, you’re going to run this whole classroom debate!’ I want to be part of change. I want to be a voice in the room.”

Much of Amirah’s strength, both physical and emotional, comes from her mother, Megan, an educator in Lake County and her role model.

“My mom is the smartest person I know,” she says. “She’s always pushed me, not just in school, but in life. I didn’t always want to hear it, but now I see how right she was.”

From telling Amirah to read instead of watching TV, to teaching her the value of faith, her mom’s influence is a big reason for Amirah’s success. 

“She told me that sports might open doors, but education is what keeps them open,” Amirah says.

Her favorite, Isaiah 54:17, which says, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” is something her mom taught her early. 

“She engraved that into my brain,” Amirah says. “Any time I felt like I wasn’t good enough, that verse reminded me I was made for more.”

As her senior year continues and graduation looms, Amirah is starting to reflect, not just on what she’s accomplished, but what she wants to leave behind.

“To the younger girls coming up I say be yourself, unapologetically,” Amirah says. “You were born to be you. Not everyone will like your choices, but that doesn’t matter. As long as you’re doing your best, that’s what counts. It took me a long time to believe that. But I know now, even in hard times, you keep going. You don’t stop. You don’t get complacent. Because the end is so much better than the beginning.” 

Photos: Nicole Hamel