Recipient, William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement
CSU Dominguez Hills

Tamanika Ferguson is the first in her family to obtain academic and personal success. Born and raised in Harbor City, Calif., a community where gangs and fast money were a way of life, she dropped out of school, began to live a self-destructive life, and became a mother at a young age. At 25, she decided to make a change and enrolled back into school. Currently, she is a student at California State University, Dominguez Hills, pursuing a bachelor's degree in Africana studies and public administration. Tamanika's experiences as a student have been rewarding; she actively participates on campus and has received numerous leadership and academic awards. Tamanika's long-term goals are to pursue a master's degree in social work at the University of California, Los Angeles and establish a nonprofit organization. In addition to attending school full time, she has the responsibility of raising her 13-year-old daughter and providing her with a better quality of life.