Scholar of the Week
Phantasia Mason of
John Marshall High School
By Janeal Downs
Since she was about five years old, rx Phantasia Mason grew up dancing in her church. She currently attends Heaven’s Haven International Ministry, physician a place where she can feel at peace. At her church, she not only serves as a praise dancer but also with 
other church events. Dancing is one of her most enjoyable ways of participating. “I am very interested in dancing because it helps me express different emotions,” Phantasia stated in an essay. Whether she is sad, glad or mad, Phantasia’s coach always encourages her to show her emotions through her dancing. She not only praise dances, but she also enjoys jazz, lyrical and even performs in her marching band.
Being a member of her school’s marching band is one of her favorite things to do in her spare time. She hopes to continue in band when she goes to college. Phantasia’s top college of choice is Virginia Union University. With an interest in science, she will major in biology. While she knows classmates who are going out of state for college, Phantasia was attracted to VUU because it is an in-state university and also because of the school’s pre-medicine program. With plans to go into the medical field, Phantasia wants to work with newborn babies. “In order to be able to be successful in that career I would first have to graduate high school with outstanding grades,” she stated. While she is still in high school, other than her activities with her church and dancing, she also participates in extracurricular activities as a member of Girls for Change, Future Business Leaders of America, Project Discovery, the softball team and the track team. Through extracurricular work, Phantasia learned about teamwork, seeing how well everybody worked together and also how the organization members could act like a family.
Her other favorite activities outside of school include writing and reading. “Most of the time, I read from Wattpad which is an international reading app,” Phantasia said. “Sometimes I enjoy writing mini stories to incorporate different things and obstacles in the world that many people don’t see.” Another way she expresses her creativity is through drawing.
One of Phantasia’s biggest inspirations is her older sister. “She was valedictorian of the same school I’m at and I know it can’t be harder than what she went through,” Phantasia said. Her sister went to college as well, so Phantasia knows she can do it too. Attending college will be one of her biggest challenges but she has “learned from adults and teachers that studying and focusing is the way to success.” While she is still in high school, Phantasia is focused on staying committed to being the best student, making sure she is always ready to learn and constantly preparing for the future.
