Tiffany Thornhill had a defining moment in 2014. “I was attending the welcoming meeting with other Nina Scholar recipients and our coordinator told us, ‘you’re all going to get a Ph.D.!’ He said it with such enthusiasm and conviction, I believed him! At that moment, my life changed forever.” She tossed aside her plans to earn an applied science degree for substance abuse counseling, vowing to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and then a master’s, in social work. The 35-year-old single mother of five was a high-school dropout. She earned her GED at 17 and after several very rough years “hit rock bottom” before realizing “there has to be more to life.

I want to help others avoid what I had experienced.” She happened upon the Nina Scholars program at Glendale Community College and was accepted. “Nina Pulliam saved my life. I went from this minor dream of doing one small thing to now having a broad vision to get my bachelor’s degree and even my master’s. I want to touch people in the world and bring pride to the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Being a Nina Scholar has given me drive. I want to be a success story.”