Tyshea Simone Lewis ’13, ’16 MED

There must be a first, and the first sets the bar.

The first UNCG Guarantee graduate was Tyshea Lewis ’13, ’16 MED.

She set the bar high.

Tyshea Lewis is a full-circle success story who received a Lula Martin McIver Scholarship through the UNCG Guarantee Program in 2010. She graduated with dual degrees in psychology and human development and family studies in 2013. Subsequently hired as a temporary support employee for the program, Tyshea started work on her master’s in August 2014 and became Interim Coordinator of the UNCG Guarantee Scholarship Program in October 2015. A year later, she was hired to continue her leadership as Coordinator, after earning her master’s the previous spring.

Nearly 90 percent of Guarantee Program students remain in school, and close to one-fourth of them are on the Dean’s list. Entering the program with credits from an early college high school program is not unusual – these are movers and shakers who refuse to be limited by socioeconomic circumstance.

Tyshea’s position as Coordinator for UNCG Guarantee is challenging. She processes student applications, researches financial aid, supervises student office interns, markets the program to high school guidance counselors, and coordinates a “Phone-a-thon” for potential applicants.

Tyshea never stops raising that achievement bar.

She reflects:

“UNCG Guarantee helped me find my voice. After a K-12 career of doing as I was told, it was challenging to be asked not only what do I want to do, but being given the space and time to figure out WHY I wanted to do it. However, that is a question I am grateful for every day. Without the opportunity that Guarantee provided me to explore my interests and values, I’m certain I wouldn’t be as fulfilled as I am every day when I walk into my office. To this day, Guarantee continues to help me define my purpose and walk within it. With this program I found my love for lifetime learning and my love for assisting in the growth of young leaders like myself.”

Growth and gratitude: The bar just flew into the sky.

The UNCG Guarantee Scholarship Program, established in 2009 through an anonymous gift, not only offers qualified in-state students the opportunity to attend college with little or no debt, but also integrates support systems that ensure student success. For more information, please visit The UNCG Guarantee.