First of her family to attend and graduate from college, Miss Tameshia Blackwell, was born and raised here in Winston Salem, North Carolina. In May 2011, she graduated Cum Laude from Shaw University in Raleigh North Carolina with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. While attending Shaw University, she was granted many opportunities that lead to her success in the Math and Science field. She participated in three Emerging Researchers Conferences held in various destinations and was selected to study overseas in a prostate cancer research internship in Jamaica for two summers. She is a lifetime member of the Alpha Chi National College Honors Society, Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society and a member of Shaw University branch of the Minority Association for Pre Health Students (MAPS). Currently, she is continuing her efforts to serve the community as a Health Equity Ambassador under the mentorship of Dr. David Mount in the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity until she starts graduate school in the spring of 2013.