Aaliyah Adams is a First-Gen Student at UCI

Aaliyah Adams is a first-generation student at UCI and joined us on our podcast to share her experience as one. This dialogue illustrated how being first generation has had an effectful influence on her academic journey.

Aliyah Boston recorded her 68th career double-double on Wednesday to help No. 1 South Carolina defeat Coastal Carolina 102-39 and match Sheila Foster’s program record from four decades ago.

Early Life and Education

Miss Black Sacramento Aaliyah Adams makes this claim more than just lip service: her community service activities include volunteering at food pantries and homeless shelters, which isn’t something often listed among pageant contestant activities. But, for Aaliyah Adams it goes further: they truly represent something meaningful she’s done over time.

She was 14 when she relocated from Susanville to Sacramento with her father and brother. Aaliyah’s mother was an alcoholic who used drugs while her stepfather physically abused Aaliyah; this continued even after they split.

She began cheering and tumbling at five, beginning as sideline cheer before switching over to competitive cheerleading with SYA Extreme two years later. Since then she has competed at both local, regional, and national levels, winning multiple awards including being three time National Champions.

Professional Career

Aaliyah, known for her vocal talents and album sales exceeding three million in the US alone and eight worldwide, earned recognition as one of the best-selling female R&B artists ever thanks to producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott.

Adams is the daughter of Dover poet and community activist L. Amillion Mayfield and has an intense devotion to children and family life. Recently she co-wrote Beautiful Full, which offers help for families separated due to divorce, military service, incarceration or death.

Adams has dedicated herself to portraying Israel positively internationally since making Aliyah in 2017. To that end, her efforts include organizing Israel’s hosting of three stages of the Giro d’Italia Grand Tour bicycle race in 2018, inviting Madonna to perform at Eurovision Song Contest 2019 and sponsoring an Israeli professional cycling team.

Achievement and Honors

Adams excelled academically during high school, becoming a member of both the National Honor Society and Principal’s Honor Roll – not to mention participating in Black Student Achievement Program – while competing in volleyball, track & field and basketball sports.

Pageant director Angel Stewart noted that she kept up her studies even while in juvenile hall. But it was her interview – when she shared her experience making aliyah and volunteering with homeless communities – which truly won judges over, according to Stewart.

Nefesh B’Nefesh, which assists English-speaking Olim in making Aliyah to Israel, honored her with the Sylvan Adams Bonei Zion Prize in November 2018. This ceremony honored eight outstanding Olim who embody modern day Zionism and was presented at Beit Ha’Am cultural center in Jerusalem.

Personal Life

Adams is a certified athletic trainer. She earned a master’s degree in sports management from Florida State University. Additionally, Adams trained dance professionally while she also enjoys photography, learning, traveling and surfing the internet.

Miss Black Sacramento 2018 takes her commitment to community service beyond mere rhetoric, citing work at food banks and volunteering at homeless shelters as among her community service activities. These accomplishments serve more than as mere talking points; for her they form the basis of her platform as Miss Black Sacramento 2018.

Adams made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) and has been spending his fortune to promote his adopted homeland through culture and sport. In 2018, Adams organized for Israel to host the Grande Partenza, cycling’s opening three stages of Giro d’Italia Grand Tour; brought Madonna for Eurovision performances 2019 in Tel Aviv; and owns Israel Premier Tech, cycling’s only professional bike team competing at cycling’s top league.

Net Worth

Adams made history when he helped bring the iconic Italian bike race Giro d’Italia to Israel in 2018 – drawing more than 1 million spectators and billions of biking enthusiasts around the globe. Additionally, he underwrote Madonna’s performance at Eurovision Song Contest 2019 that was seen by over 280 million viewers globally.

Adams supports Save a Child’s Heart, an organization which conducts lifesaving surgeries for children from Middle East, Africa and around the world as part of the Jewish imperative to “tikkun olam.” In addition, Adams is the sole Israeli member of Bill and Melinda Gates’ Giving Pledge initiative in which billionaires pledge most of their wealth toward charitable efforts.

Adams lives in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri and her TikTok videos depict her and her family on an exciting shopping spree; from Lululemon summer apparel and tie-dye Crocs purchases to Ray-Ban sunglasses and tie-dye Crocs purchases – there’s always something new!