By: Richard L. Smith
There are some interviews that feel more like conversations, and some conversations that remind you why you became an educator in the first place.
I spent nearly 25 years inside the historic halls of Arts High School in Newark, teaching broadcasting and helping build the television production program. Walking back into the building recently for senior guard Nilah Rivera’s college signing celebration felt like stepping through a doorway between the past and the future.
The event was held in the school’s upper media center — a room that was once the library when I taught there. Years ago, my students and I spent countless days in that space when our television studio was temporarily unavailable.
Seeing it transformed into a stage where a young woman was preparing to launch the next chapter of her life was a powerful reminder that growth is often built on the foundations of yesterday.
Surrounded by her mother, grandfather, teammates, coaches, teachers, friends, and dozens of supporters, Rivera signed her commitment to continue her academic and basketball career at Hampton University.
For the 5-foot-6 point guard, the moment represented much more than a college decision.
“It signifies the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one,” Rivera told me. “Having all the people who helped me get where I am today around me to celebrate is really special.”
As she spoke, it became clear that her path to this moment was anything but conventional.
Originally from New York, Rivera’s high school years took her through several schools and several challenges. She attended Saddle River Day before transferring to Immaculate Conception in Montclair.
After Immaculate closed, she faced another transition, eventually arriving at Arts High School for her senior year.
Many students might have viewed another move as a setback.
Rivera viewed it as an opportunity.
“I wanted to finish my high school career on the highest note possible,” she said. “And win another state championship.”
That confidence wasn’t arrogance. It was experience.
She had already learned how to fight for playing time, earn respect, and prove herself at every stop along the way.
“My freshman year taught me a lot about grinding early and paying my dues,” Rivera said. “Then at Montclair, everything I learned prepared me to become a point guard and help lead a team to a championship.”
Still, arriving at a new school as a senior presented a different challenge.
For the first time, she wasn’t simply joining a program. She was expected to lead one.
“People had expectations of me,” she said. “This time there wasn’t another senior leading the way. It was my turn.”
What Rivera discovered at Arts High surprised even her.
She admitted she knew little about the school’s long history before enrolling. What she quickly found was a community that embraced her.
“I could never imagine coming here and feeling this connected,” she said. “I have communities on all different levels. Teachers, administrators, students in different grades — people who made my experience really special.”
The connection extended beyond basketball.
Although she arrived known for her athletic abilities, Rivera immersed herself in the arts culture that defines the school. A piano major, she learned to play the instrument after enrolling.
“I didn’t play piano before I came here,” she said. “Now I feel like I can really call myself someone who plays piano. I care deeply about basketball, but I also learned to care deeply about this craft.”
That combination of discipline, creativity, and determination fit perfectly inside a building that has inspired generations of artists, performers, musicians, and innovators since opening as America’s first public high school dedicated to the visual and performing arts.
On the basketball court, Rivera quickly became one of the catalysts behind a season that changed school history forever.
Arts High captured the first girls basketball state championship in program history when the Jaguars defeated New Providence 57-45 in the Group 1 state final. Rivera helped lead the championship run and was one of the team’s unquestioned leaders throughout the season.
Earlier in the tournament, she produced a dominant all-around performance against Mountain Lakes, finishing with 16 points, six assists, and eight steals while helping send Arts to its first state championship game.
The success didn’t come without adversity.
Rivera recalled difficult conversations midway through the season when teammates challenged each other honestly about what it would take to achieve their goals.
“We had to sit down and really talk,” she said. “We had to be honest with each other and say what we needed. I think that’s what turned our season around. We trusted each other enough to be real.”
Even after losing the Essex County Tournament championship game, Rivera said the team refused to let disappointment define them.
“Our biggest goal was always the state championship,” she said. “We had to leave the county loss behind and focus on what was ahead.”
That focus paid off at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena, where Arts completed its historic championship journey.
For Rivera, the victory represented more than a trophy. It represented legacy.
“We did something nobody had ever done before,” she said. “Now the next generation can look at what we did in 2026 and say, ‘Let’s do that again.’ That’s what means the most to me.”
Listening to her explain the significance of the championship reminded me of many of the remarkable students I encountered during my years at Arts High. The same determination. The same willingness to push through obstacles. The same understanding that success is rarely a straight line.
When I asked Rivera how she wanted people to remember her, her answer revealed the maturity behind her accomplishments.
“I care really deeply about the things I do and the people around me,” she said. “I just want to make sure my name is remembered in the best way possible.”
That reputation helped attract interest from several college programs before Rivera ultimately selected Hampton University.
The choice felt right almost immediately.
“Everything just lined up when it was supposed to,” she said. “I trusted God and trusted the process.”
Rivera cited the leadership of Hampton head coach Tamisha Augustin and the university’s strong academic offerings among the reasons for her decision.
A political science major, Rivera hopes to explore careers in law, public policy, or international relations while continuing her development as a student-athlete.
She is also excited about attending one of the nation’s most respected Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“I’m looking forward to being surrounded by Black excellence,” Rivera said. “Being around people who understand where you’re coming from and who have already accomplished so much.”
The opportunity comes at an exciting time for Hampton’s women’s basketball program, which continues building within the highly competitive Coastal Athletic Association and has focused on developing student-athletes both on and off the court.
“Coach Augustin was somebody I wanted to play for,” she said. “She was honest, straightforward, and I could tell she genuinely cared about her players.”
Throughout our conversation, Rivera repeatedly returned to gratitude.
She credited God for guiding her journey.
She praised her mother for unwavering support through every school transition and basketball challenge.
She thanked Arts High School Head Coach Brown, assistant coach Johnson, her teammates, teachers, and the many people who invested in her success.
When asked who Nailah Rivera is, her answer revealed perhaps more than any statistic ever could.
“I’m someone who cares deeply,” she said. “About basketball, school, piano, and the people around me. I want to pour back into the people who poured into me.”
As the signing ceremony concluded and cameras flashed around the room, I found myself looking around the media center that had once been such a familiar part of my own educational journey.
The room had changed. The school had changed. The students had changed. But the mission remained the same.
Helping young people discover their potential. Yup, for this one afternoon, that room belonged to Nailah.
A young woman who crossed state lines, changed schools, overcame uncertainty, won championships, embraced the arts, learned a new instrument, and earned the opportunity to continue her education and basketball career at one of America’s most respected HBCUs.
Her story is a reminder to every student sitting inside Arts High School today—and every young person facing uncertainty elsewhere—that your path does not have to be perfect to be successful.
But if you keep working, keep believing, and keep trusting “the PROCESS” (Nailah’s words), the destination can be greater than you ever imagined.
For Nailah, that destination now leads to Hampton University.
And judging by the determination she displayed throughout our remarkable concersation, this next chapter may be her best one yet.
I'm praying that it is.
