PATRICE JOHNSON | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Ajae Purnell, a senior at Cato Middle College High School, is The Post’s 2025 Top Senior runner-up,

Ajae Purnell has big plans.
Purnell, The Post’s 2025 Top Senior runner-up, said it was a relief to hear she was named to the award. Until then she had not heard from any scholarship applications and while she wasn’t worried, she was a little anxious.
“I was really shocked and honored at first,” Purnell said, “because I was applying for a lot of scholarships, and this was really this was my first one that I won. So, I was really excited to be nominated and honored to be a Top Senior scholar, and also, I was just ready to share the news with my parents and family.
Purnell attends Cato Middle College High School, where she has a 4.6 weighted grade point average. She is taking college courses already, and biology and anatomy are among her favorites.
“We’re on [Central Piedmont Community College’s] campus, so we take college classes and high school classes,” she said. “But right now, I’m taking college classes. I’m taking chemistry and biology too. I would say my favorite class is biology too, like anatomy and physiology. The hardest class I probably took was chemistry.”

While schoolwork is important, Purnell also giving back. 

“I do a lot of community service work in the clubs that I'm in and outside as well,” she said. “I volunteer at an elementary school, and I volunteer with a Pre-K class at J.W. Grier Elementary. I get to work with the class and help them with ABCs and writing their name and read to them. It’s a good way to go there and give back and before I go into the real world, just get back into that elementary school type of vibe. Also in honor society, we do a lot of community service. We’re working on doing a park cleanup right now. Also, we did a book drive that just passed. I’m also doing a feminine hygiene drive right now to a shelter called My Sister's House.”
Purnell hopes to become an anesthesiologist. She is weighing college options between Wake Forest and UNC Chapel Hill. She hopes to decide soon but wants to make sure it is the right choice.
“I'm going to major in biology, and then eventually I’m going to go to medical school and become an anesthesiologist,” she said. “I also want to do some internships in between. I do have an upcoming internship this summer, so I get some more hands-on experience as well.”

Medical school is a lofty goal that will take a lot of work. Purnell is ready to tackle it.

“It will take a lot of work,” she said. “But anything you work towards and work hard at, I believe you can achieve. I know I am a hard worker and that even if things get tough, I can push through and get to where I want to go.”

Throughout her life, Purnell has had several role models. There are a few that stand out.

“My mom is one of my biggest role models,” she said. “My dad is too. My principal is also a role model for me. When I was struggling to get scholarships, she would just encourage me to keep trying and keep pushing because there were more opportunities out there. Since we are a little bit smaller of a school, it is easier to get close with the principal and teachers and stuff like that. So, I would definitely say she is a role model and has given me some really good advice.”

As with any 18-year-old, the future can be scary, but Purnell is confident in her future. She is focused on career plans as well as travel.
“As far as the future, I would say, settle down at a specific hospital,” Purnell said. “I would just say focusing on my career and getting to travel and then giving back to my family for helping me get where I’m at. I want to travel to Paris and really all of Europe. That is what I want to do.”