Originally from
Green Cove Springs, Florida, Tatila Brock
graduated from Clay High School in 2010, upon which she then enrolled at the
University of Florida with a major in Journalism and minor in Non-Profit Organizational
Leadership. Tia loves to write and blog,
and even has her own blog dedicated to promoting the importance of mentorship
and scholarship called Inspiring
Mentoring Succeeding, of which she writes, “The blog is geared toward all
teenagers, especially girls. It’s a
guide on how to get to college, and advice on what to do when you get there.” Check it out here!
Tia credits Take
Stock in Children as one of the reasons she was able to attend the University
of Florida. She became a TSIC student in
7th grade, Tia writes:
[Take Stock in Children] had a huge
impact on my life and changed it for the better in several ways. It is the reason I’m at the University of
Florida, and the reason I’m so determined to succeed in life. It’s also the reason I want to create a blog
geared towards mentoring. It’s changed
my life…It truly gave hope to my life and taught me how to conduct myself as a
student and professional so I could be seen in a positive light to others.
As a testament to
her commitment to TSIC, Tia’s post-graduate plans not only include working for
a magazine company, but she would also like to be a student advocate for Take
Stock in Children as well as a mentor of the program. Tia credits much of her success to her own
mentor, Mrs. Janice Tucker, the vice principal of her middle school and the
school’s director for TSIC. Of Mrs.
Tucker, Tia writes:
I never met anyone who cared about
students getting a good education more than her. Anything school related she
backed me 100%. She encouraged me to make good grades, challenge myself, and
work hard so I could have a better tomorrow. She took me places my disabled
aunt couldn’t; she was able to do this because she became my big through Big
Brothers, Big Sisters. She took me to architecture firms because at the time
that’s what I wanted to be…went to different TSIC events together, such as
football games, career workshops, and volunteer opportunities.
Even when she
didn’t believe in herself, it was Mrs. Tucker’s steadfast encouragement that
helped Tia during her college application process. “When senior year rolled around it was crunch
time. [Mrs. Tucker] and I worked on scholarships daily that we learned about
through the guidance office at school and TSIC.” Tia continues:
We went to the University of Florida’s
career day and explored different college options over the Internet. Even
though [Mrs. Tucker] encouraged me to look at a university. I doubted I could
get in so I decided I wouldn’t apply…and I didn’t have the money to pay for the
applications fees. Right then [Mrs. Tucker] whipped out her checkbook and wrote
me two tickets to places that could offer me opportunities I had never dreamed
of. I submitted the applications that week and waited for the results to come
in. In February, they arrived that I didn’t get into one, but I did get into
the other. I was now a part of the Gator Nation because my mentor believed in
me even though I didn’t believe in myself.
The story of
Tia’s relationship with her mentor reveals what Take Stock in Children is all
about: by equipping deserving students with a support system and scholarships,
opportunities become endless. Tia is a
true scholar and inspiration to us all at Take Stock in Children for her
perseverance, dedication, and altruism.
These qualities are further exemplified in her commitment to
involvement on campus. She is the Historian
for the Gator Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist, a member
of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the former Historian for the
Jamaican-American Student Association at University of Florida, and most
inspiring, Tia is the current President and one of the founders of the Take
Stock in Children Alumni Alliance club at University of Florida. She writes:
Being the leader
of the TSIC [Alumni Alliance club] is an honor and I would say it has empowered
me because the executive board and myself are working hard to make the
organization successful. It is allowing us to take things we learned as leaders of
other organizations and implement them into what TSIC is all about. When the opportunity presented itself I was all
for it because of our mission: to implement the goals and objectives of TSIC by
breaking the cycle of poverty, raising awareness, and providing opportunities
to reinvest in our communities and out TSIC family.
At a Take Stock in Children contract signing event Tia talks about
her life and her experience with Take Stock in Children, which you can view a
recording of here. “Being a leader [of the TSIC Alumni Alliance
club] has empowered me to make this organization successful because I believe
it is, and will be, a great resource for TSIC scholars or anyone one who wants
to see the next generation of college students prosper. Take Stock in Children salutes Tia for all
that she has accomplished, and we look forward to all that the future holds for
her!
A 2012 graduate from Charles
W. Flanagan High School in Broward County, Alfonso Mejia is the first person in
his family to pursue a college degree. President
of his high school class for all four years, he graduated within the top 2% of
his class. He aims to continue his
involvement with student government at the University of Florida, where he is
currently studying Accounting and Finance and
plans on going to law school to become a lawyer and work in the non-profit
sector. 
