Through our Live Your Dream Plus program, we stay connected with our awardees for up to three years after they receive their financial award, offering ongoing mentorship as they continue working toward their goals. Here’s an update on three of our recipients, Tamara, Mayra, and Rose.
Tamara – 2024 Live Your Dream Award Recipient
Tamara graduated from North Carolina Central University in December 2024 with a degree in nursing. She’s now working at WakeMed as a Labor & Delivery nurse, and also serves as an Operations Manager for a mental health agency. Tamara’s experience in mental health has been inspiring to her, and in fact she has decided to pursue a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner degree, a change in her earlier plans to become a Midwife Nurse Practitioner. Tamara has set her sights on Baylor University and hopes to enroll in 2027. Tamara expressed gratitude to Soroptimist. In her own words: “Thank you! Couldn’t have done it without your help.”
Mayra 2026 Live Your Dream Award Recipient
Mayra completed her coursework at Wake Tech Community College in May, finishing the prerequisites she needs for the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Fayetteville State University. This fall, Mayra begins the next chapter of her education, enrolling in online courses through Fayetteville State University’s BSW program. Choosing online coursework wasn’t just a matter of convenience. It’s what makes it possible for her to keep building toward her degree without stepping away from the work and income her family depends on.
Throughout this transition, Mayra continues to work full-time as a referral specialist in community health care. It’s a role that puts her in direct contact with people navigating some of the hardest moments in their lives — and it’s easy to see how it’s shaping the social worker she’s becoming.
As a single mother and the sole provider for her family, Mayra hasn’t had the option to pause her responsibilities to go back to school — she’s building her future while showing up fully for everyone who depends on her. It is her goal after this semester to complete her remaining courses full-time on campus. This will require her to stop working full-time, and she tells us that her LYDA award is making this dream a reality.
Rose – 2026 Live Your Dream Award Recipient Recipient
Rose has had a busy year at North Carolina Central University. She’s been hard at work on her political science coursework, along with two internships that gave her real-world legal experience to complement her academic studies: one with the Office of the Public Defender, and another with U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee. These placements have done more than build her resume. They provided practical experience that law schools look for in competitive applicants. This summer, she’s continuing that hands-on track with an internship at the NC Office of Special Counsel.
Rose has also been building her network with some help from her Soroptimist mentor, who connected her with Duke Law alumni to learn more about Duke Law School and its admissions process.
That same belief in the power of networking led Rose to found Legally HerStory, a student organization that builds community for women aspiring to become attorneys.