Teaching Institution: Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia

Field of Study: School Psychology

While Tamika is still settling in to her new position with the University of Connecticut, she is thankful to have had exposure to women of color in her field as a Doctoral Scholar. “For me it was really great just to be around potential colleagues and peers who appear to be more similar to me,” she said about attending the annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring.

Tamika earned her Ph.D. in counseling and psychological services from Georgia State University in 2013. After being awarded the Doctoral Award and attending the Institute she made the decision to become a professor. This was a tough decision she said because she hadn’t seen many women of color in her field. The Doctoral Scholars Program’s stipend support as well as emotional support helped Tamika during her Ph.D. program and required internship. “I wouldn’t have been able to complete my internship without the support and the social and emotional support I received, “she said.