From Trinidad to Durham: how Tamia Hector is building the future she always imagined

She wasn't asking for charity; she was looking for support.

When Tamia Hector applied to EmpowerU’s very first scholarship cycle in 2021, she was already exactly where she was meant to be — a Caribbean student with a sharp mind, a clear direction, and the kind of quiet determination that doesn’t need a spotlight to do its work.

What she needed was support. And that’s what EmpowerU is for.

From Trinidad and Tobago to Durham University

Tamia is from Trinidad and Tobago — a physicist in the making who chose Durham University in the United Kingdom to pursue an MSci in Natural Sciences, with a focus on physics and mathematics. That’s not a small thing. Leaving the Caribbean for the UK to study one of the most demanding fields in science takes more than ability. It takes belief — in yourself, and in the possibility that people like you belong in those spaces.

Outside the lab and the lecture hall, Tamia plays volleyball, sings, paints, and reads. She’s not just building a career. She’s building a whole life — one that will eventually come back to the Caribbean in ways that matter.

Why EmpowerU invested in Tamia

The EmpowerU Scholars Fund exists because Caribbean students are excellent — and because the financial barriers they face have nothing to do with their potential. Tamia was our very first scholarship recipient. Not because she needed rescuing, but because she deserved backup.

She was the beginning of something we’re still building.

Five years of Caribbean excellence

Since Tamia, EmpowerU has funded four more students: Kiran Jivnani studying public policy at the University of Chicago, James Brooks pursuing international social work at HAN University in the Netherlands, Madison Solomon completing her psychology degree at the University of South Florida, and Tavania Mathew studying finance at Florida State University.

Five students. Four countries. Five futures backed by people who believed Caribbean excellence is worth investing in.

You can be part of the next chapter

This fall, we’re opening applications for the next EmpowerU scholarship cycle. A gift of $50 covers a textbook. $150 covers registration fees. $500 gets a student through a semester.

Every dollar goes directly to a student. EmpowerU runs lean by design.

Donate to the EmpowerU Scholars Fund → empoweru.online