ANSWER SCHOLARSHIP ALUMNAE

Nataysha Addison graduated from UNC Charlotte for her B.S. in Nursing. She already held an associate degree in nursing from CPCC and works full-time for Novant Health’s outpatient infusion center in Charlotte. Addison is the single mother of four children, ranging in age from five to 25. She was a teenager when she first became a mom.

Addison’s parents were also teenagers when she was born. She and her siblings were raised by their grandmother, who was her rock, she says. She wants to be that for her children, and for them to know that the possibilities for their lives are endless.

Candis Choice graduated from UNC Charlotte with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor in religious studies. She is a single mother of two, ages 13 and 17, and they live in Charlotte.

Choice was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a teen and endured hospital stays that delayed her education. Despite working hard and only needing two points in her Home Economics elective, she could not graduate and felt defeated. But that moment became a turning point. With strength passed down from her grandmother, Millie Choice, she completed her high school diploma and Associate in Arts degree with honors in 2019 while raising her children.

She says her faith anchors and motivates her. Her favorite scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. "I strive to instill in my children the profound value of education and the unwavering belief that dreams have no age limit.”

Tia Gaston says that after high school, she was not sure what she wanted to do with her life and felt she needed to grow up a bit more and find her purpose. She has found her purpose and has graduated from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, earning an associate degree in nursing.

A single mom to one son, Gaston says she came from a loving family, but her childhood was difficult. “I'm here to show others that just because life started out one way, that doesn’t mean you can't change things around and accomplish your goals,” she emphasizes. “There is no right or wrong way to get there, just keep working to get there.” She hopes to continue her education and become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

Tywanda Heilig graduated from Catawba College with a B.S. in Business Management and a minor in marketing. She works full-time at Novant Health as a Unit Secretary Specialist. A single mom of two children, she is pursuing her degree now to make life better and easier for her family.

After high school she attended college on a volleyball scholarship but left school to help her mom. She tried night classes but ultimately left college and obtained her cosmetology license. Heilig has experienced many hardships, including the murder of her brother. She lost

her mother to cancer and her grandmother to COVID. Heilig’s children support her return to school. They are learning, she says, that “a college education is a must in this house.”

Amber House graduated with her B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering with a minor in Cybersecurity from Johnson C. Smith University.

House says her parents never completed college. The family never owned a home. Her brothers were incarnated while she was in high school. The visits to court and jail solidified for her that she would do better.

House gave birth to her first child during her freshman year of college. After taking one semester off, she completed an associate degree in business with a minor in entrepreneurship from Goodwin College in Connecticut. Today, House works for TD Bank as a fraud analyst. She wants to stay in the banking industry and use her bachelor’s degree to move into cybersecurity.

Higher education will soon be a family tradition. House’s daughter, Denaijah graduated from high school in 2026 and hopes to study biochemical engineering in college.

Jazmyn Patterson graduated from UNC Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in reading. She is married with two children, ages seven and nine.

Her journey to college was delayed by early discouragement-first from attending an unaccredited college, then from financial hardship and self-doubt. Raised by a single mother in the military who worked hard to protect her, Patterson often struggled to find her own voice.

Motherhood has given her purpose and courage; she realized the power of becoming a role model to her children. Patterson hopes to earn a master's in school administration and show her kids it’s never too late to grow, lead and inspire others. The family lives in Gastonia.

Monkia Wells is a first-generation college student, the first in her immediate family to graduate from high school and attend college. Wells graduated from Winthrop University with her B.A in Business, she is the mother of three children.

Wells grew up the youngest of four and always knew she wanted to make something of herself. She has faced many obstacles that kept her from finishing college but feels now, with her children a bit older, she can continue what she started in her 20s. Her career goals include either owning a business or rising to a high-level position within a company.

Wells wants to show her children that they can be whatever they want if they stay focused, keep their grades up, be respectful and work hard: “They can do it just like Mommy.” Wells lives with her children and partner in Rock Hill.