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Ames Scholars Blaze a Trail
Commencement 2006
AT THE 2006 SEATTLE Pacific University Commencement
on June 10, Charisse Everett and
Tierra Martin were among 670 graduates who
received their diplomas before thousands of
friends and family at Qwest Field. They heard
keynote speaker Barbara Williams-Skinner,
president of the Skinner Leadership Institute,
urge them to “Go in the Strength You Have.”
For Everett, it was a moment of accomplishment.
She remembers as a high school
junior announcing that she was not going to
college. “Yes, you are,” her mother replied. “The
only question is, ‘Which one will you attend?’” The following year, Everett found her way
to SPU. Encouraged by the proximity of campus
to her home and family, she was also
offered an Ames Scholarship that provided
$5,000 a year in recognition of her leadership
in the multicultural community.
The scholarship, renewable annually, has
come of age. Everett and Martin are the third
and fourth Ames Scholars to graduate from
Seattle Pacific. The first two, Mara Cardenas
and Kathryn Tyler, graduated in 2005.
Begun in 2002 with a $1 million gift from
Gary and Barbara Ames, the scholarship fund
was designed to minimize the financial burden
of a university education for outstanding
multiethnic student leaders. “The Ames
Scholarship opens doors,” says Everett. “It was
Mr. and Mrs. Ames’ whole vision to help ethnic
minority students get into SPU, stay at
SPU, and graduate from SPU.”
“Our dream for this program,” says SPU
President Philip Eaton, “was not only to attract
and enroll these fine students, but also to see
them graduate. Charisse and Tierra are blazing
a trail that will be followed by many others.”
Martin, a visual communication major, says
she was inspired by her friend Everett’s enthusiasm
for Seattle Pacific. Seeking a graphic
design program, Martin transferred to SPU
during her sophomore year. The Ames Scholarship,
along with other scholarships and assistance
from her church, relieved some of the
financial burden of a university education.
“One thing that attracted me to SPU was
the diversity initiative,” explains Martin, who
has worked part time as a “multicultural ambassador”
for her residence hall. “I really appreciated
getting plugged into the Mosaic cadre and
getting to know people who were equally passionate
about students of other cultures.”
“There has been a diversity explosion on
campus,” says Everett. “The things I wished for
in my freshman year have come to pass: a gospel
choir, cultural dance groups, involvement in
the National Christian Multicultural Student
Leaders Conference [hosted at SPU in 2004]
— it’s sad to leave with all this happening!”
She has applied to a master’s degree program
in social work. “I want to be a government
social worker and help individuals and
families become successful, to show them the
light at the end of the tunnel,” says Everett.
Martin may apply to graduate school, but
for now she’s pursuing design work and
dreaming of being in business for herself.
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