In her own words
Tonoa Bowman-Hayes
I committed to pursing higher education because I wanted more than what I was surrounded by. No one in my immediate family has a college degree or a high school diploma. So fantasizing about becoming a doctor or nurse as a kid was something that I knew I had to do to make that little girl proud. I am also looked at as a role model by my little cousins who’s parents also do not have a college degree. I stand as an example to show them that we do not have to stay stagnant after high school. We do not have to find a job at a local restaurant and move up in positions there for the rest of our lives. I knew that coming to college would not be easy being that I would be the one financial responsible for funding all 4 years. But I did not want that to be the barrier to my success. I know that when I graduate, and begin my career the money will not be something that I worry about. I will be able to look back and my past and see how far I have come, how much work I put in and how dedicated I was to making sure my future was everything I had imagined it to be.