Tamara is committed to using her education to make a difference in her community; with her characteristic persistence and empathy, Tamara is sure to impact many lives in her future career.

Tamara Chambers is a dedicated student, parent, and community member earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Michigan-Flint. Tamara has persisted in her education no matter the obstacles she has faced over the years, following in the tenacious footsteps of her mentor and hero: her grandmother, who at 102 has six degrees and only stopped going to college six years ago.

In 2012, after twenty years in the workforce, Tamara made the leap to continue her education and enrolled at Mott Community College. With the determination to show her children that “nothing is impossible,” she graduated with honors and earned her associate degree in business management just three years later. Tamara enrolled at Northwood University in the following semester and began working toward her bachelor’s degree in business administration. Though life circumstances prevented her from finishing her degree at that time, she remained determined and driven to continue her education, and she is now a successful pre-law student at U-M.

Tamara is also committed to using her education to make a difference in her community. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she intends to continue on to law school and ultimately go into corporate law. At the same time, she plans to open a domestic violence shelter and both help and empower women without other resources. Tamara’s longtime colleagues praise her “vision of making a positive impact in the Flint Community and beyond” and remark that “given the opportunity, Tamara would change lives and make an extraordinary difference.” With her characteristic persistence and empathy, Tamara is sure to impact many lives in her future career.

CEW+ commends Tamara’s commitment to both her education and her community and names her the Linda J. Rider Scholar.