5/11/23
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Life isn’t always like a box of chocolates. That’s not exactly how Tom Hanks’ character, Forrest Gump, phrased the famous line during the 1990s hit movie of the same name.
It wasn’t so sweet for Magalie Higgins, either. Not at first anyway.
Eight years ago, after her first adoption by a Texas family left her feeling “sad,” Magalie Higgins was reunited with one of her former Haitian orphanage friends, Jasmine Higgins.
Soon, they would become inseparable.
“In Texas, the family that had an interest in me had three boys, and I’ve been with girls (sisters) for most of my life,” Magalie explained. “It was different. It was still nice, but I was constantly sad. I had nobody around me, and I didn’t speak English that well; I only knew a few words. I felt alone, and Jasmine was in Arkansas. I knew her from the (Haitian) orphanage. We were visiting one summer and I went on a beach trip with them and they were like, ‘Would you like to stay?’ I was like, ‘Sure, I want to be with Jasmine.’
“That’s how I came to Arkansas.”
Eight years later, Magalie Noel Compere Higgins was crowned Alma High School’s Prom Queen. Along the way, she became engrossed in academics and, starting next fall, plans to attend the College of the Ozarks in Lookout Point, Mo.
“Well, since she was crowned prom queen Saturday night, she very humbly walked into our offices Monday morning and let us know we could bow and greet her as the Queen for the remainder of the year,” kidded Alma counselor Tawyna Shelton. “She's hilarious. She's vivacious. She's brilliant. She bought us all lunch in the fall to thank us for assisting her in making plans for her future.”
“That was super exciting,” Higgins said of becoming prom queen. “One of my friends, Katie Major, said, ‘You know what? I’m going to vote for you Magalie.’ She posted on her (Instagram) story, and I guess some of my friends voted for me. It was really sweet and nice; I felt like it was a special moment.”
Throughout high school, Higgins was involved in dance, theatre, soccer, volleyball, Quiz Bowl, and DECA. But she really caught the eyes of her teachers as an eighth-grader.
An avid reader, Magalie — who will graduate with an honors diploma — reads books totaling between 4 and 5 million words.
Magalie Higgins is one of the lucky few.
“It’s always a joy to see students come in and thrive,” Shelton said. “When we have a student from a particularly difficult situation persevere and succeed, it's those moments that make our eyes sweat a little. We do all we can to encourage our students and we can't do things for them — but we can encourage, help them explore their options, and in the end, we just talk them through their next steps.”
Mike and Paula Higgins raised three girls, Manesseh, Micah, and Mallorie, then adopted two more girls with Haitian ties, Jasmine (2013) and Magalie (2015).
“I knew them already from Haiti because they had adopted Jasmine and (Manesseh and Jason Moore) had adopted Sammy,” Magalie said. “They’re my parents, of course, and they gave me a place to live and support me and gave me so many opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise. They supported me whenever I found out I had diabetes.”
Magalie Higgins was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer of 2021. Her mom never left her side.
“At that time, I was scared, mad, and angry,” Higgins said. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I was working and doing sports, and I was thinking it was because I was working and playing sports. I knew I was getting weak. I didn't know what was happening, I just knew I was sleeping all the time.”
“We have had an especially close bond with Magalie because she was diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of her junior year and she was coming in daily for her sister (Manesseh Moore) to write down her blood sugar and insulin,” Shelton said. “She's kind of become part of our office because she has been in there so much.”
Big family
Magalie grew up in a large Haitian family. When she was 9, her dad passed away, which eventually led to her mom putting her up for adoption.
“My father died when I was younger, and that was one of the major reasons I was adopted,” Higgins said. “It was just hard to take care of my sisters and two brothers.”
Before long, Magalie was on an airplane for Texas. But there were obstacles, such as a huge language barrier.
“It was hard at times because I was in a completely different land with completely different people - everything was new,” Higgins said. “The language was a major barrier at times; I would just smile a lot of the time because I didn’t know what to say and I didn’t know what everybody was saying.
“That was one major thing that was hard, plus missing Haiti and my family. It was a big change from going from my family to another family.”
After reconnecting with Jasmine, who was settling in with her adoptive parents, the Higgins' soon added a fifth daughter. In the fall of 2015, Mike and Paula had another future Airedale — Magalie Higgins, enrolled at Alma Intermediate School and was on her way.
“My parents taught me a lot about hard work and going after what you want and don’t give up,” she said. “Whenever something bad happens you have to persevere through it and keep working hard. I always try to see the bright side of things. My mother will always say, ‘Yes, it’s raining, but the water waters the flowers and you get pretty flowers.’
“That’s looking on the bright side.”
Strong academics
Higgins thrived in science, which led her to pick her major.
“I want to be a pharmaceutical chemist,” she said. “I’m going to study biochemistry. Everybody says that’s hard, but I find it interesting.”
Higgins said her middle school science teacher, Stacie Dyer-Savage, and high school chemistry and anatomy teachers Tiffany Scrinver and Zach Thomas were instrumental in her love of science.
“It has been a major point of my life,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in learning, and all my teachers, I have always had a close relationship with my teachers. They have been a major part of my school life that I’ve enjoyed.”
“We adore Magalie and are very proud of the choice she has made to go to a college where she is going to gain valuable work experience and skills and be able to get her college degree without going into debt,” added Shelton.