Celebrating Excellence AMEY EVALUNA, MPA Program Manager, Office of Community Engagement & Diversity Initiatives Education: College of Southern Nevada, Associate of Arts in Anthropology University of Nevada Las Vegas, Bachelor of Science in Public Administration Master of Public Administration Campus Involvement: Dreamers Club Advisor
TANYA SMITH Future doctoral degree candidate Tanya Smith grew up bi-coastally. Her mother lived in Virginia
Senior
and her father lived in California. “My mother embodied the spirit of Southern hospitality, always friendly, loving, and welcoming to anyone regardless of who they were.” Growing up with exposure to multiple cultures shaped her worldview. When Tanya was 14, her mother was murdered. At that point her life took a painful and dangerous turn. Then entered a mentor named Penny McNeil, a teacher who saw and nurtured Tanya’s potential. A village of women soon grew around Tanya and held her up in the toughest imaginable times by fostering her resiliency with support. Tanya reflects, “A mentor planted the seed that made me believe I could one day have a Ph.D. I am working toward it so that I can one day change other people’s lives the way she changed mine.”
Major: Psychology, Sociology and Social Justice minors Education: East Coast Polytechnic Institute University, Bachelor of Science in Business/IT Management
Fewer than one percent of teen moms go on to earn a college degree. Amey Evaluna has earned three. Ask her family about her childhood and you’ll hear, “Amey’s nose was always in a book.” Perhaps reading helped her escape. It certainly helped her hide. She was born when her mother was 17. Her father, convicted of rape, went to prison when she was 3 years old. Later, an alcoholic step-parent moved in. Amidst turmoil, on the steps of her trailer, Amey read and grew. Unaware that patterns need not repeat, by age 21 Amey was a single mom of three children. She married a man who filled the generational space for abuse. For 12 years, Amey and her children suffered. Finally, in 2015, she was freed. “I pursued my education with tenacity no matter what else was happening, because I knew it would contribute to my ability to overcome.” These days, Amey works to dismantle elements that perpetuate abuse while also learning to take care of herself. “Healing with post-traumatic stress disorder takes daily work. But time heals all wounds, and I am a hard worker.”