Remarkable Women: Dr. Tamesha Hughes-Frazier
Back in November, Queen City News and its parent company Nexstar launched a campaign to feature remarkable women in our area throughout this month. We asked you to tell us about the remarkable women in your life, and you answered!
(QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Getting through high school can be tough enough. Navigating the college application process can be truly mind-boggling, and it can be even more difficult for low-income and first-generation students. Dr. Tamesha Hughes-Frazier was one of those students herself and has made it her life’s work to help kids fulfill their college dreams.
“I didn’t want students to have to wrestle with navigating the college experience,” Tamesha explains. “I wanted them to have a relationship, up close and personal, with someone who could hold their hand through the entire high school process. Basically hand-feeding them the info that they would need later on if they decided to go to college.”
In 2015, Tamesha had a vision. Stemming from her years growing up in the projects of Cincinnati, Ohio… to going to college and starting her career as a teacher, she identified with students who had the potential to succeed, but their background or financial hardships might be holding them back.
Tamesha shares, “We see that all the time– trying to achieve economic mobility. Sometimes it can’t happen in the city that you live in. Sometimes you have to set sail and hope that you can make it wherever you go.”
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Tamesha’s vision became Hughes Elite Scholars, a non-profit agency providing that support, helping students set sail, and go where they dream to go.
Percell Hobbs, a Hughes Elite Scholars academic coordinator, has been with the agency since 2018. He calls Tamesha a visionary to the core. “Her vision is to make sure the whole body is completed. The family, the mother, the father, the sister, the brother. Everyone gets help with us.”
From tutoring and test prep to life lessons… visiting colleges around the country, to financial literacy for parents, it’s truly a family affair.
Dr. Rhonda Covington has known Tamesha since their days working for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She sees the need for a program like Hughes Elite Scholars—they currently serve about 400 students across four counties. “It’s greatly needed,” Dr. Covington explains. “Students have so many choices that are not necessarily in their best interest, whether it’s social media, gun violence, or whatever. To be able to provide the opportunity, that choice.”
Dr. Covington goes on to explain how well Tamesha works with the students. “When they see that they can come from humble beginnings… if they have the desire, if they put in the hard work, if they surround themselves with people who can give them guidance and support and fuel that work and desire… I think she stands as a testament for them.”
Through all the schoolwork, college applications, financial forms, and tests, Tamesha and her team have one big goal: to take away the fear of the unknown. “Enjoy the journey, versus stressing through the journey.”
Hughes Elite Scholars hopes to one day open a main gathering space for students, offering fun programs, tutoring, and even their own school! If you’d like to donate or volunteer your time to one of their many programs, you can go to their website, hugheselitescholars.com.
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