TJ Brinkman

TJ Brinkman received her B.A. in Biology from UNC Charlotte. She earned her degree in spite of years of debilitating, chronic pain and being a working single mother. Today, she is the 7th grade science teacher at West Iredell Middle School. The Statesville Record and Landmark chronicled her inspiring story.

Having been without nurturing parents of her own, Brinkman is thankful that her ex-boyfriend’s mom stepped into that role to help both Brinkman and her little boy.

“My heart told me that I needed to get this degree and help children who were like me,” she says. “My son is going to understand where we came from (because we have struggled together). Together we are going to appreciate the humbleness and strength that accrues when someone overcomes adversity.”

Pam Brown

Pam Brown earned a B.A. in Art Education from Winthrop University. She teaches art at Chester Middle School and is married with six sons.

“I would like to reach as many children as possible and be a positive influence in their early years,” she says. “I can encourage them to hang onto their creativity - never let it go. I’ll foster an art environment where they regularly have input into lesson plans.”

She and her family live in Rock Hill.

Tisha Campbell

A single mother of four children, Tisha Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Johnson C. Smith University.

WBTV talked with her about her 20-year journey to earn her degree, which was completed with help from ANSWER Scholarship. She always wanted to work in human resources. Today, she is a human resources generalist at Commscope.

By providing a strong example, she hopes to teach her children how education will help them persevere.

Shayna Gales

Shayna Gales graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, earning a B.A. in General Studies with a concentration in business leadership. She fulfilled her goal of working in human resources with her new job as HR coordinator with McLeod Addictive Disease Center. WSOC-TV interviewed her about being a high-school drop-out and what it took to earn her college degree.

Gales was ANSWER's first scholar at Queens. She says her experience in the U.S. Army helped her stay grounded as she balanced work, school, and motherhood as a single mom of a four-year-old daughter. She hopes to teach her daughter that "you should pursue education as long as you live."

LaWanda Goodman

A single mom of a child in elementary school, LaWanda Goodman graduated from Belmont Abbey College with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in business. She works as a credit processor with Atrium Health.

Goodman didn’t attend college following high school because she needed to work; she was already living on her own in 12th grade. The Charlotte Observer wrote about her inspiring story in a front-page story on Mother’s Day.

To her daughter, she wants to impart how important it is “to attend school while you are young - before you obtain responsibilities like a husband or children. School will help you achieve your career goals. You have to have a degree in this day and age.”

Courtney Mayo

Courtney Mayo graduated from UNC Charlotte in spring 2019 with a dual major of special education and elementary education.

Mayo had her first child when she was a teenager and couldn’t continue her education until much later. Supporting her child was priority one. Today, she works full-time and has three children. Her boyfriend of seven years has been “one of the most supportive people in my journey of obtaining my degree,” she says.

Mayo will pursue a career in teaching. Her ultimate goal is to open a recreation center that supports Charlotte youth with sports, tutoring, counseling and affordable after-school care.

Chiquela Adams

In May 2018, Chiquela Adams received an ADN nursing degree from South Piedmont Community College. She plans to continue her nursing education and has been accepted by Winston-Salem State University to work on her bachelor’s degree.

Adams reflects on the challenges of seeking a college education. “I did attempt to go back to school, but as time went on so did nursing requirements which was one of my hindrances, not to mention how intense the program was. I gave up for a while, but it was always a burning desire, so I knew that it was my calling. I managed to get my CNA license and discovered I loved helping people. . . I feel like this is my time, this is my season.”

Adams is a single mother raising a teenage daughter. She and her family live in Charlotte.

Elizabeth Bradley

Elizabeth Bradley graduated from Montreat College with a B.S. in Psychology and Human Services. In 2014, she graduated from Gaston College with an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services Technology. 

“I decided to continue with my education because if I am to help others I needed more skills in my field and I genuinely enjoy learning,” she says.  “I never realized how much I loved and missed school. I balance things well with my life that maximizes my time with my children. This scholarship is not only an answer to prayer but confirmation that this is what God wants me to do with my life. He has opened numerous doors and this one has just blown me away.” 

Bradley works full-time at CARF Accredited Foster care/adoption agency and part-time at the Charlotte-Douglas airport. She and her two children live in Gastonia.

Shauna Burger

Shauna Burger enrolled at a small college in Tennessee following high school. But illness forced her to withdraw after one semester. Today, she’s a graduate of Belmont Abbey College with a B.A. in Business Administration. While enrolled, she worked in the Veteran’s Affairs department at Central Piedmont Community College.

A single mother of four, Burger has been motivated through tough moments by the example of her mother, who earned a master’s degree in education later in life. Burger said she hopes to earn a master’s someday as well. She wants to show her children that “education is the only thing that will help make your life better. Education is the only thing that cannot be taken back. The more you know, the more you can provide for your family.”

She and her family live in Gastonia.

DeCora Cooper

A May 2018 UNC Charlotte graduate, DeCora Cooper received her bachelor’s degree in sociology. She plans to attend the same college for her master’s in social work. Cooper is a single mother of two children and works for Central Piedmont Community College as an administrative assistant.

She looks forward to a bright future despite a difficult past. Both of her parents were addicted to heroin, so her grandmother raised her. “Just two weeks before my high school graduation, I found out I was pregnant and my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer,” Cooper says. When her grandmother passed away, Cooper became homeless and in an abusive relationship.

But she remembered a promise she had made to her grandmother to finish her education. She wants to use that education to become a social worker “so I can help someone like me turn their life around.”

Aura Davis

Aura Davis graduated from UNC Charlotte, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in public health. She is a single mom of a 17-year-old son. Davis overcame dramatic obstacles to earn her degree.

Her fiancé passed away unexpectedly three months after the birth of their son. Davis’s educational goals became less important as she focused on providing and caring for her child. .

But her passion for education and helping others drove her to go back to school and finish her degree. “I want to help people in the community by providing counseling, resources, and opportunities,” she says. “I hope that not only my son but all in future generations understand the importance of education. Education makes our future stronger.”

Davis is currently studying for a master’s degree in counseling at Pfeiffer University. The Charlotte Observer told her courageous story.

April Edwards

In May 2018, April Edwards earned a social work degree from Johnson C. Smith University’s Metropolitan College for non-traditional students. She is a single mother of two young boys.

Edwards is the first in her family to graduate from college. She says she has always wanted to earn a college degree. That sentiment grew as she sought to be a strong role model for her sons and saw the impact that education can make on their future.

“As a child, I watched my mother work hard and sacrifice to provide for our family. Now that I’m a mother, I live my life for my children and they depend on me. I want to show them what hard work and determination produces. I want them to know that money gained can easily be lost, but knowledge gained can never be taken away.”

Edwards hopes to become a licensed clinical social worker after she receives a master’s degree.

Katie Jensen

Katie Jensen received her B.S. in Psychology, with a minor in biology. After a summer internship at the Smithsonian, she will return to UNC Charlotte to complete her master’s degree in bioinformatics and genomics.

There she will work for the University Center for Academic Excellence as a graduate assistant in the Learning Strategies and Instruction division. She is also assisting on a research project with the Shi Lab and Yan Lab collaboration at UNCC.

Although Jensen has faced challenges in her life, she plans to pay it forward and teach her children along the way. “I want to give back when and where I can. I want to share my story with women who are where I have been, to help them by encouraging them and giving the tools they need to move to the next level. I want to find the underlying causes for the genetic defects that cause diseases like Alzheimer's. Most importantly, I want to teach my daughters what resilience and strength look like so that they too can make a difference in the world without the struggles I had to go through.”

Jensen is married with two daughters. She and her family live in Charlotte.

Andrea Kellner

Andrea Kellner earned an associate degree at Central Piedmont Community College in its Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She works as occupational therapy assistant at Iredell Charter Academy and Langtree Charter Academy. She hopes ultimately to obtain a master’s degree in occupational therapy, allowing her to help children with disabilities reach their fullest potential. 

Kellner is the first person in her immediate family to attend college. She is a single mother of two children, an 8-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. By advocating and taking care of her son with autism, Kellner developed a passion for helping children with special needs.

“I always dreamed about working with children with special needs, and after having an autistic son, I knew God was telling me this is my calling,” she says. “Receiving this scholarship has showed me anything is possible. 

“I hope to teach my kids the importance of education. I want them to see that no matter what obstacles you have in your life, you can become anything you want, achieving your dreams. Education opens up endless possibilities in life.”

Anita Ross

Having graduated in May 2018 from Belmont Abbey College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Anita Ross will teach second grade at Carr Elementary School in Dallas, N.C.

Ross has experienced firsthand the difference caring teachers can make in a child’s life. Her mother had a high school education, while her father left school after second grade. Both of them worked in cotton mills. As the youngest of six children, Ross saw the hardships her parents faced when the mills began to close and her parents struggled to fully provide for their family. “Living in poverty taught me so many valuable lessons.” she says.

“Some of the most caring people I met were my teachers. My teachers looked beyond my old clothes and free lunches at school. They saw and invested in my potential and future. A teacher was the one who helped me sign up for community college. Now that I’m an adult with two children of my own, I want to be that teacher – a teacher who works hard to show students that their circumstances can change through education.”

Amanda Ruiz

Amanda Ruiz is a single mother of a young boy. After earning her degree in finance from UNC Charlotte in May 2018, Ruiz secured a position as a global risk analyst at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Charlotte.

Ruiz first showed signs of illness as a teenager, in a year when her father was assaulted, leaving permanent brain damage, and her mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which needed to be removed immediately. “We lost our house, boat, cars and any security I ever felt,” Ruiz says.

When she was 18, Ruiz was diagnosed with a serious case of Crohn’s disease and had to drop out of college. Eleven years later, once a new infusion therapy offered hope following numerous failed treatments, Ruiz realized the time had come to invest in herself.

“After having a few very close calls and having to face my own mortality, I decided to stop waiting for remission or the perfect time,” she says. “I applied to UNC Charlotte from my hospital bed.”

Keyatta Smalls

In December 2017, Keyatta Smalls received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Johnson C. Smith University.

Smalls is a single mother of three teenagers. As a teen mother, Smalls was unable to go to college. She assisted her ailing mother and became her children’s main support system when the children’s father was violently murdered. Despite her challenges, Smalls pushed forward to go to college.

“I hope to teach my children that education is everything. The more they learn, the more barriers they will be able to break through in life.”

Smalls hopes to start her own business someday.

Jackie Bithorn

A single mother raising a son, Jackie Bithorn graduated from Winthrop University seeking a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in criminology.

She plans to pursue a graduate degree in counseling, hoping to counsel individuals in prison who will eventually integrate back into society. “Through my life experiences, I’ve learned the importance of giving back,” she says. “The ultimate goal is to instill a sense of confidence in my son so that he understands that no matter what circumstances arise he can do anything he sets his mind to do.”

Learn more about Bithorn in this profile in The Herald.

Nicole McRavion

Nicole McRavion earned a B.S. in Educational Studies at Belmont Abbey while working full-time in the financial industry and maintaining a 3.5 GPA.  The Gaston Gazette wrote about her inspiring story. 

She says about her college experience, "I wanted to complete my education, while proving to myself that I could accomplish a goal that was set so many years ago. I also wanted to demonstrate to my child that it's possible to not only accomplish a goal while working full-time, but also graduate with honors. In the end, I would like for him to always work to be his best and not accept anything less."

Sheri Perez-Segura

Sheri Perez-Segura graduated from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences, focusing on early childhood and adolescent studies. The single mom of four is now a parent educator with York School District in York, S.C.

Perez-Segura has overcome a family background that includes addiction and abuse. She quit school at age 13. For two years, she received no formal education. Then she attended a private school and worked to pay her fees, but the challenge of a job, school, and caring for her younger siblings proved insurmountable at such a young age.

Perez-Segura resumed her education as an adult and earned her GED at age 35. “I teach my kids that you have to work for what you want and that education is the key to living out your dream,” she says. Read an interview with Perez-Segura at Charlotte Five.

Teena Allen

Teena Allen is enjoying a career in social work following her graduation from Winthrop University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She made the President’s List for her 4.0 grade point average, received the BSW Field Excellence Award, and was selected for NEW Leadership South Carolina, a residential program to give college women the skills to become leaders in politics, public policy and public service. Allen is currently an outreach and enrollment specialist with a local community health center.

Jessica Burney

Jessica Burney graduated with a B.A. in Business Management, human resources concentration, from Pfeiffer University. She finished summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. She was also a member of Alpha Lambda Sigma and Phi Delta Sigma National Honor Societies. Burney works at ESPN as a scheduling coordinator. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in a few years after her youngest child starts kindergarten.

Kym Davidson

Kym Davidson graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in May 2016 with a B.S. in Criminology. She is pursuing a dual master's degree online in Criminal Justice Administration and Security (forensic psychology concentration) and in Information Technology (cybersecurity concentration) at East Carolina University. Her goal is to become a chief security officer upon graduation. Davidson also volunteers as a domestic violence advocate at Carolinas Medical Center.

Margaret Drummond

Margaret Drummond graduated magna cum laude from UNC-Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature, creative writing concentration. She is a team financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. Drummond also works as a freelance writer. Her twins are in their senior year at the Levine Middle College High School.

Annette McMullen

Annette McMullen plans a career in medical research following her graduation from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Biology. At Winthrop, she was a McNair Scholar, a member of the Beta Beta Beta Psi Biological Honors Society, and a member of the Tau Sigma Honors Society. She is continuing on to graduate studies in the medical laboratory science program at Carolinas College of Health Care Sciences. Her son, now in high school, hopes to study computer science in college.

Natosha Stewart

Stewart earned a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in management from Johnson C. Smith University. She was also inducted into the university’s honor society. Stewart plans to open a continuing education company for cosmetology professionals after her graduation.

Amanda Cavin

Cavin graduated from Winthrop University with a B.S. in elementary education 25 years after she first enrolled in college. (The first time around, she dropped out after three semesters.) Cavin is now studying for her Masters of Education at Winthrop and working as a graduate assistant. She has been a role model for her entire family. Her son will study computer science at a local technical college, her husband is enrolling there for classes as well, and her oldest daughter hopes to attend a four-year college and major in music education. WTVI and The Rock Hill Herald both covered her inspiring story.

Michelle Cade

The Tom Joyner Foundation was among those who recognized Cade's achievement of earning a college degree as she worked and raised five children. Cade graduated from Johnson C. Smith University with a B.A. in Communication Arts. She plans a career in public relations. A profile of Cade in The Charlotte Observer attracted more than 4,000 Facebook "likes" and was one of the Observer's most memorable stories of the year.

Charlene Edwards

Edwards graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Pfeiffer University. She is currently a lease administrator at Cato Corp. Edwards has two daughters.

Leah Helms

Helms earned a B.S. in Accounting from Gardner-Webb University. She is employed by David N. Wurst, CPA in Matthews as an accountant, and is planning to take the CPA exam. She has three children.

Kanetra Jamison

Jamison graduated summa cum laude from Johnson C. Smith University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. She is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work with a concentration in health and mental health, as well as a Certificate in Drug and Addiction Studies, at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. Jamison has two children. WTVI featured her in a 2014 profile.

Daria Kearse

Kearse earned her associate degree in nursing at Carolinas College of Health Sciences. She is a nurse on a neuro-surgical unit at Carolinas Medical Center. In 2015, Kearse will begin studying for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through UNC Wilmington. She has two children.

Denise Knox

A single mom of three, Knox graduated from Montreat College with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Human Resources. She is currently earning an MBA from Montreat. Her three sons have followed her lead. Her oldest is in the Army Reserve, her middle son is studying for a degree in business management at York Technical College, and her youngest is making the A/B Honor Roll in elementary school.

Marquettia Stover

Stover earned a B.S. in Special Education from Winthrop University. She teaches 4th and 5th graders in a special-education class at Clinton Elementary School in Lancaster, South Carolina.

Alison Thornburg

Carrie Johnson Walters

Walters, a mother of two teens, graduated in December 2012 from UNC Charlotte with a B.A. in Communication Studies in Public Advocacy. She is currently working on a J.D. at Charlotte School of Law. The Kannapolis mom was raised in a low-income, single-parent household in government housing and never knew her biological father. She gave birth to her first child during her senior year of high school. Walters works as a paralegal and has volunteered with Guardian ad Litem, the voice for minor children in abuse and neglect court cases. Walters was recently featured in the Independent Tribune.

Erica Frazier

Frazier completed a B.S. in Management from the University of Phoenix in 2012. A single mother of a teenager and two younger children, she is earning her degree while working as program director for Above and Beyond Students’ after-school program. Frazier tried to pursue a college degree previously while working full-time, but wasn’t serious about it until divorce made her look hard at her future. Read more about Frazier in The Charlotte Post . The national magazine American Baby also interviewed Frazier for a story on moms going to college.

Jamille White

White graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Business, concentration in management, from the University of Phoenix. She has been an inspiration for her twin sons, Jamal and Jarvaris, both freshmen at Clemson University. Jamal will study engineering; Jarvaris will study architecture. The family lives in Rock Hill, S.C.

Shantell Kelty

A single mom, Kelty graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Pfeiffer University in December 2011. In her application for an Answer scholarship, Kelty wrote, "Returning to college has been my one heart’s desire for many years now. Being in the workforce has shown me the importance of a college education. A person can have all the experience needed for a position, but (without) a college degree to support the experience, your resume becomes one of many." Receiving the Answer scholarship allowed her to show her daughter Kaylan that any goal is attainable. Kelty hopes to work for a non-profit organization and to continue her education by earning a master's degree, possibly in organizational leadership. Kelty was featured in the Myers Park Life publication.

Katrina Mitchell

Mitchell started 2012 with a new job as a language arts teacher at Joseph W. Grier Academy, part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She teaches 3rd to 5th grades, with an emphasis on literacy. Mitchell graduated in December 2011 from Belmont Abbey College with a B.A. in Elementary Education, and is attending Lesley University for her masters in Curriculum Instruction: Literacy. Mitchell was featured in the Myers Park Life publication.

Malaika Grier

Grier graduated from Belmont Abbey College in the summer of 2010 with a B.A. in Accounting.

Mellanie Barr

Barr graduated from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in 2009 with an associate’s degree in nursing.

Anita Cherry

Cherry wanted to earn a college degree as a way to a better life for herself and her child, but couldn’t afford it because of medical expenses. With Answer’s help, she graduated in December 2009 from Pfeiffer University with a B.S. in business administration. She's now working full-time as an accountant. Cherry has served for two years as a mentor in Answer’s Mentors for Mom program. She has one daughter, Brianna, who is in 11th grade.

Marie Dingle

Dingle graduated from UNC Charlotte in May 2009, earning a Bachelor of Social Work. She didn’t stop there. In December 2011, she graduated from UNC Greensboro with a Master of Library and Information Studies degree. She works as a media specialist at Whitewater Middle School in Charlotte and has two children, Jerrod and Stephanie. Dingle is also a mentor in Answer’s Mentors for Moms program. She was recently featured in the UNC Charlotte Alumni Magazine and SouthPark Magazine.

Jennifer Holbrook

Holbrook graduated in December 2008 from Winthrop University, majoring in Communication Disorders/Speech Language Pathology. She was on the Dean’s List with a 3.95 GPA.

Tonya Nichole Faulkner

Faulkner sought a college degree to break the cycle of poverty in her family. In 2008, she graduated magna cum laude from Queens University of Charlotte with a B.A. in Human and Community Services. She later earned a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from High Point University. Faulker is employed at Rockingham Community College in the Trio program, a federally funded program that assists low-income and first-generation college students. Faulkner’s daughter is currently a junior at Queens with a 3.4 GPA, and Faulkner’s son is in middle school. The Saturday Evening Post featured Faulkner in a profile of the Answer Scholarship.

Sharon Laney

Laney graduated summa cum laude from Montreat College in May 2007 with a degree in business management. She works in a family business. Her oldest daughter currently attends Central Piedmont Community College, while her youngest daughter is in high school.

Sonya Muhammad

“Sonya Muhammad was trying to raise two daughters on her own, earn her degree at UNC Charlotte, and work a third-shift job when she was awarded the Answer Scholarship.” That’s how Pride Magazine described Muhammad, who graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2007 with a bachelors in social work and in June 2009 with a master’s in social work. She is a mental health therapist.

Litasha White

White was one of Answer’s inaugural recipients in December 2006. She bought her first home in 2007 after graduating from Pfeiffer University. White has returned to Pfeiffer and is currently studying for a joint MBA/MHA (Master of Health Administration). She works as chief operating officer for Second Chances and a Chance for Change. Her daughter, Aja, is an 11th grade honors student who hopes to attend Wingate University or UNC Greensboro.