For Latanya Carter, the value of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has extended far beyond scholarship support.
The Coppin State University accounting student said the organization’s programs have helped her strengthen her networking skills, build confidence in professional settings and develop relationships that have shaped her college experience.
“Now I know how to deliver an elevator pitch, how to network and how valuable the connections I make can be,” Carter said. “I’m thankful for all of it.”
Since beginning her studies in 2024, Carter has participated in TMCF’s DevCon and Verizon Immersion programs while also receiving scholarships through Honda’s Drive the Legacy initiative and the Deloitte Foundation. She said receiving the Honda scholarship, which covered her tuition for the academic year, was an emotional moment.
“I cried when I read the email,” she said.
Carter’s path to college was different from many of her classmates’. Before enrolling at Coppin State, she spent 25 years with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services as a juvenile correctional services officer before retiring and deciding to pursue a degree in accounting.
Returning to the classroom wasn’t an easy decision.
“I was comfortable and retired, and I kept asking myself, ‘Why am I going back to school?’” Carter said, adding that she initially felt intimidated as a non-traditional student.
She said discovering TMCF changed the trajectory of her college experience, giving her opportunities to grow personally and professionally while connecting with a broader community of students.
Now a rising senior, Carter also encourages fellow students at historically Black colleges and universities and historically Black community colleges to take advantage of TMCF’s resources, scholarships and career development opportunities.
For anyone wondering whether it’s too late to return to school, her advice is simple: “Just do it.”
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