Meet Ty’Jenya and Tinesha Pinkney
If success was a person, her name might be Ty’Jenya Pinkney.
Head of the Class
Norview High School graduate Ty’Jenya Pinkney recently received a full scholarship from the Posse Foundation to attend William & Mary in Williamsburg based on sweat, hard work, and exceptional academic achievements. She has enrolled as an undergraduate and plans to go on to medical school to become a pharmacist or pediatrician.
“At first I didn’t believe it. I thought they were playing,” said Ms. Pinkney, recalling her surprise when her school counselor informed her on a Zoom call that she had been accepted at William & Mary and awarded a scholarship. When she realized it wasn’t a joke, tears flowed from the eyes of both her and her mom, Tinesha Pinkney. “We were so excited we were both crying,” said Tinesha, 38.
Ty’Jenya, 18, is the first in her family to attend college. Her four-year Posse Foundation scholarship to William & Mary will cover tuition, housing, and supplies. “The only thing I’ll have to pay for is my meals,” Ty’Jenya said happily.
Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation’s mission is to support outstanding, high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds who are often overlooked by Ivy League colleges and universities. Posse scholars are placed in groups of 10 and receive mentoring and support throughout their college years. Scholars have a 90% graduation rate, a success the foundation attributes to having students in small groups, or posses, to form bonds and share experiences. The program grooms leaders of the future and has awarded more than $2 billion in scholarships to 12,000 students at 63 participating colleges and universities. William & Mary and the University of Virginia are the participating schools in Virginia. Fifty-seven percent of Posse scholars are first-generation college students like Ty’Jenya.
Ty’Jenya started taking college courses in 11th grade at Virginia Beach Technical and Career Center (VOTECH) while attending Norview High School. Pharmacy technician training at VOTECH gave her an opportunity to experience what working in a pharmacy is like.
“I’m leaning more toward pharmacy. I got to work in a real, live clinical hospital and was able to label prescriptions. I was like, I really like this,” Ty’Jenya said.
People FirstUSI family-support specialists recently helped Ty’Jenya move into her dorm. Her mother’s van was broken, so the team packed one of their vans with Ty’Jenya’s belongings and drove her to college. They also helped furnish her dorm room with some essentials.
Ty’Jenya’s graduation and scholarship aren’t the only things her family is celebrating. Her mother is still singing praises for People FirstUSI about the five-bedroom home she and the children moved into after recently leaving Tidewater Gardens.
As part of Norfolk’s mission to help former Tidewater Gardens families find stable housing while the St. Paul’s community is being revitalized, People FirstUSI family support specialists work closely with private landlords to identify single-family homes and multifamily units that are affordable and that accept NRHA housing choice vouchers.
“People First helped us find a place to live, they paid the deposit on the home, and they hired movers to help us move,” said Tinesha Pinkney. “It’s such a blessing.”
The house is in what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designates as a Neighborhood of Opportunity, one that does not have large concentrations of people living in poverty. With five bedrooms, the home has plenty of space for Tinesha Pinkney and her children. “The quietness, the space, the backyard for the kids, the peace of mind of being in a good neighborhood with good neighbors. I love it,” she said.