Tamara Williams is preparing for a career as a lawyer to advance civil rights
These past months Hamlet's words have been apt: "The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold." Despite all the challenges our world is facing today, the only extreme apparent in Tamara Williams' world seems to be her joy.
"Carver played a major part in who I am today," Tamara recently shared with us. "I began by attending Carver's after-school program. I worked as a Carver summer camp counselor and then worked for Carver's CASPER after-school program for elementary students at the Carver Community Center. Carver helped me find my passion for my community and in helping others."
Tamara attended our annual Spring College Tour in 2013. Her account of the group's visit to the Shaw University campus was published here in the Norwalk Patch.
Shaw was the first school on the schedule for the Carver Foundation of Norwalk's 43rd annual college tour. We were greeted by Marcus McElveen, son of Mark McElveen, who coaches our rival Brien McMahon varsity girls' basketball team. I also learned that his uncle is the Recreation Coordinator for the Carver Foundation of Norwalk. Marcus, who is more than six feet tall, ran into our chartered coach bus to greet us and welcome us to Shaw. Sports must run deep in the McElveen family because Marcus is an Assistant Coach of the Shaw University Football team. Marcus credits Ms. Novelette Peterkin for introducing him to Shaw University eight years ago when he was one of the students on the college tour.
Tamara graduated from Norwalk High School in 2014. She then attended Morris College, a private, Baptist historically black college in Sumter, South Carolina. Founded in 1908, the college was named after the Reverend Frank Morris because of his outstanding leadership throughout the African American community of South Carolina. “They gave me a foundation,” Tamara said. “Morris was the place that molded me into who I am.”
Tamara spent the final year and a half of her undergraduate experience at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A& M University), another historical black college and university (HBCU) and a traditional 1890 land-grant institution. She graduated cum laude in 2019.
During her time at Alabama A&M University, Tamara completed an internship with Madison County, working for the Commissioner for District 6. Her experiences during her college years also included working as an advocate for recently released criminals, "giving them and their families a second chance at life."
Tamara is a member of the Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Tamara is presently preparing to take the LSAC exam in order to attend law school later this year. She is also working part-time for a private law firm in Montgomery, Alabama.
"Needless to say, my focus in law will be Civil Rights. Carver not only gave me one of my first jobs but supplied me with endless mentors, role models, an amazing support system, and exposure to things I never knew."
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, declaring that all men were created equal, he owned slaves. Women couldn't vote. But our abolitionists, suffragettes, and civil rights leaders called on our nation to live up to the nation's professed ideals in that Declaration. That is the tradition we are proud to see Tamara commit herself to advance. During this fraught time in our nation's history it is helpful to remember that the civil rights movement continues to achieve its goals without resorting to violence.
While the extremes we have endured these past years have been "very cold” and have "bit shrewdly," and long after all the recent manifestoes and polemics are forgotten, Tamara's career in advancing civil rights will endure. Tamara will help us heal and make progress. Tamara and her peers will help us find clarity and lasting solutions.
And through it all, what seems most enduring about Tamara is her capacity for joy. Carver is many things to many people since our organization’s founding in 1938. Perhaps Carver's most lasting legacy will be our capacity for joy.
FIRST Lego STEM Education at the Carver Community Center
FIRST®, an international robotics community, awarded twelve grants this year to address inequities in access to science and technology. Carver was one of three grantees to receive the largest financial award of $50,000.
Carver’s FIRST robotics program operate in nine Norwalk elementary schools and the Carver Community Center during the 2020-2021 school year. There are six to eight third and fourth graders per team. Certified teachers and volunteer mentors assist each team. Carver after-school students have participated in FIRST Lego League competitions for many years.
Thank you everyone for supporting Carver kids yesterday on Fairfield County's Giving Day
Taylor Duhart will soon receive a graduate degree in sport management from UConn
In these uneasy, topsy-turvy times, alumni stories like this one winds up consoling us more than vaccine updates. Despite all the challenges this past year, Taylor Duhart is thriving at the University of Connecticut where she is on track to earn a master's degree in Sport Management in a few months
Taylor received her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science from UConn in 2019.
UConn’s Sport Management Program is designed to provide an educational experience that includes an effective blend of classroom, research and field experiences in an effort to provide each student the opportunity to gain disciplinary knowledge and to develop the necessary skills to be successful in any area of the sport industry.
And what field experiences can surpass UConn sports? The UConn women’s basketball team is looking NCAA Tournament-ready over its last few conference games, a positive sign for Geno Auriemma with March right around the corner. Meanwhile, the Huskies were one of the few football teams to play their 2020 spring session before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports across the country. Months later, they were one of three FBS teams to opt out of the season. In exchange for competition, the fall was spent practicing, conditioning and lifting.
In addition to her studies, Taylor is an Intern for the UConn Athletics Department and a Program Leader with UConn Husky Sport. As such, Taylor is creating a Preventative Maintenance Plan for all of the athletic facilities on UConn's campus. This includes preparing maintenance plans and cost analyses. Also, as a UConn Athletics Student Worker, Taylor helps her supervisors ensure the upkeep of the athletic facilities and equipment on campus. Her work includes supporting athletic games and events. As a Program Leader with Husky Sport, Taylor teaches disadvantaged elementary school students in Hartford physical literacy, nutrition, and life skills while supporting them academically as well.
As an undergraduate researcher, Taylor worked with the UConn Korey Stringer Institute on a project with the US Army.
As a graduate scholar-practitioner and a researcher, Taylor is gaining the knowledge, skills, and values to help lead the sport industry in the 21st century. Taylor is someone who envisions sport as a vehicle for positive social outcomes.
From an early age, Carver provided Taylor with solidity and engagement, a means of exploring the world’s complexities while also whirring along with a certain lightness.
Taylor’s twin sister, Kimberly, was the first to be profiled in this series on Carver alumni.
Taylor was a member of the McMahon High School girls’ varsity basketball team and graduated among the top students in her class. Taylor is someone who understands that sport medals aren't really made of gold; they are made of determination and a hard-to-find alloy called resilience. For Taylor, sport does not build character as much as it reveals it.
Taylor shares, “I was in YDP at McMahon High School and I was a counselor at the Carver day summer camp at Columbus Magnet School. Through YDP I was able to become confident in who I was and the experience helped me see that the mistakes I made did not have to be my future.
I encourage Carver’s students today to know that it’s okay to not know your path yet. The path we do take, even if we don’t use directly what we have learned, the process itself still helps us get to where we are going. I went to UConn to be a physical therapist, and although I’m not any longer intending to pursue that profession, that knowledge and experience helped be grow and to guide me into something I was more passionate about.”
We are not surprised that even in this most difficult of years Taylor’s work ethic and passion for life are lasting and true. The distilled essence of her character and what she accomplishes each day inspires us all.
Hour photo / Erik Trautmann The top academic seniors in Brien McMahon’s Class of 2015; clockwise from left: Maria Alegria, Gabrielle Ganino, Taylor Duhart, Taber McFarlan, Edwin Owolo, Juan Arenas, Olivia Clark, Tom Skiper, Olivia Haskell, Kimberly Duhart and Chris Gatt.
Fairfield County's Giving Day is tomorrow, Thursday, 2/25/21!
Go the Carver giving page here any time over 24 hours beginning tonight at 12 midnight to make a donation of $10 or more.
The Virtual Launch Party kicks off the region's biggest crowdfunding day of the year tomorrow morning 8:30AM - 9:00AM on FCGives.org where they will be broadcasting the party live.
Carver has risen as high as 4th place in years past in this annual giving contest of the charity that receives the most unique gifts of $10 or more over this 24-hour giving period.
Through Giving Day, thousands of people are joining together to make an impact and strengthen where we live and work. This one-day, regional effort harnesses the collective power of individuals, friends, families, businesses, employee groups, school groups, and others to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in giving.
In a time of uncertainty and as we all navigate uncharted waters, Fairfield County’s Giving Day provides our region with a safe, comfortable, and familiar virtual fundraising experience.
Visit the virtual Legacy Project to get a glimpse of Black history in the making
Take this powerful and historic virtual experience this Black History Month!
Learning and celebrating Black History has never been more important. Microsoft understands this fact and has created The Legacy Project, which strives to lead the world in re-envisioning Black History's narrative to shine a bright light on the outstanding accomplishments that African Americans have made in the past but are continuing to make right now. This is the first of its kind. Utilizing the world of technology, Microsoft will also highlight and virtually transport 13 of the world's top Black History Museum exhibits into every student's home or classroom across North America. This partnership with museums, historical landmarks, cultural centers, athletes, and civic influencers worldwide will include a month-long series of FREE immersive and interactive experiences for K-12 schools and the community to celebrate and learn. The Black History month journey will be available from February 1-28, 2021. Schools, youth programs and families can click the link to enroll in the program.
Microsoft has committed to providing a platform for schools, students, and youth organizations for this year's Black History Month celebration. Their platform will inspire and educate the community about significant moments and prominent figures in Black History.
Students will have an opportunity to see sections in the museum entitled Black Boss Moves, Black Achievers, Blacks in Entertainment, Young, Gifted and Black, The Black Justice League, Blacks Changing the Game. Some of the people featured include Tyler Perry, Danita Johnson(First Black President in Major Leagues Soccer, Nikole Hannah-Jones(1619 Project), Noah Harris(1st Black Student Body President at Harvard College), Roxanne Gay(1st black female Marvel Comic writer), to name a few. There is a blank wall in the final section of the museum that that poses the question -What will your Legacy Be?
"Black History month is a time for us to emphasize the rich heritage and culture of black people as well as spotlight historical events and figures in the black community," states Shy Averett, Global Sr. Community Program and Events Manager for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.” We are excited to providethe Legacy Projectas a platform to encourage people to come together and learn lessons from the past and apply them today and in the future."
As an educational initiative for all ages, the Legacy Project is living proof that Black History is alive and well, now and forever. It honors African Americans of today, tomorrow, and the future and is a testament to the fact that Black History is a woven and integral part of American History. We are also reminded that Black History should be celebrated not only in February but every day.
Participating classrooms will learn about policies that impacted Black communities. They will see a presentation that will showcase Muhammad Ali's fight against systemic racism at the Ali Center's "Truth Be Told" exhibit, no matter where in the nation that student lives.
"Muhammad Ali's message of social and racial justice was potent and impactful to people around the world," said Donald Lassere, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center. Through our "Truth Be Told" exhibit, we candidly share the policies that have impacted Black lives in America for 400 years so that all people can understand the unfiltered truth left out of our history books and become champions for racial equity for all Americans."
The students will also witness the struggle for life & liberty for all at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights while safely at home in front of their devices, as well as reading sessions of inspirational children's stories about Black History like Hidden Figures & Let the Children March, with books read aloud by some of our favorite NBA & NFL players for K-2nd graders.
"We need to know our history so we can know what our future will look like," states Haitian American Cliff Avril, a ten-year NFL Vet, Superbowl Champ with the Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowler. "My Black history hero is Toussaint Louverture, Haitian General, who led the Haitian Revolution and led the entire island of Haitians to freedom.
NASA's Perseverance LANDS on Mars!
Rover survives 'seven minutes of terror' to embark on 2-year mission to search for extra terrestrial life in a crater that was once a lake
NASA's Perseverance rover has landed on Mars following a 239 million-mile journey through space
It traveled around 12,000mph and deployed a parachute to slow down before landing safely on the surface
The sky crane performed the same landing maneuver as with Curiosity using long Nylon cords
The crane released Perseverance from its grasp and flew to safety, allowing the rover to start its journey
Perseverance will search for biosignatures in the Jezero crater that is said to be an extinct lake
It will collected samples and cache them across Mars for a separate mission in 2023 to retrieve
Multilingual Parent Webinar on Immigration Law, February 25, 6-7PM
Click on the image above to RSVP
Carver alumnus Marcus Hooks is elected to the USTA New England Board
Marcus Hooks is the founder of the news CTA, Six Love, and the youngest ever member of the USTA New England Board.
We think about Marcus Hooks often because he stayed close to home after college, his work sometimes involves our Carver kids today, and because he keeps making news!
Here (and here) is our profile of Marcus back several months ago. Today, we learned that Marcus was elected to the USTA New England Board of Directors.
Here are more details about his professional and personal successes from the USTA New England press release. .
NORWALK, CT - It’s safe to say, Marcus Hooks has accomplished more in his tennis career than the average 25-year-old. That’s because he’s not your average 25-year-old. In just a quarter century, Hooks, who grew up in Norwalk and Stamford, CT, played college tennis, is in his 10th year coaching, founded his own Community Tennis Association (CTA), serves on the USTA Connecticut Board of Directors and has now made history as the youngest member of the USTA New England Board.
And his tennis journey is just beginning.
When you take a look at Coach Hooks, as his students call him, it’s hard to overlook his glaring passion for the game. It’s when you get to know him however, that you’ll quickly discover his commitment to helping others far surpasses that.
Hooks learned to play tennis informally at his local park as well as at the Stamford Boys & Girls Club. As he got older, he received more formal tennis training, played in high school and college and gained valuable professional experience as a coach, including at the same Boys & Girls Club he grew up at. It wasn’t until last January however that Hooks decided it was time to take the next step in his tennis career and give back in a way he wished someone had when he was a kid.
After months of research, planning and paperwork, his new CTA, Six Love, was born.
“I just wish I had something like this when I grew up,” Hooks said. “I could only play with dad. The Boys and Girls Club had a program but it was unorganized and no one really wanted to play tennis back then. I never got to have an experience like these kids do.”
Six Love’s programming was delayed because of COVID-19, and even though it started running in the fall, Hooks already has a Board of Directors, a youth council, a steady faction of players and has big plans for the future.
He currently teaches a weekly yellow ball program for middle and high school players at New Canaan Racquet Club, where he also works as a tennis pro. He plans to start a similar orange ball program in the coming weeks, and by the summer, hopes to run his Mini Tennis Buddies program for beginner players in grades 3-5.
“I eventually want this to be the place you can go in the community to play tennis your way, and in creative ways,” Hooks said. “Before anyone can be good at tennis, they have to be a tennis player and have that base. For us it's about being a tennis player, and then we can filter you into whatever type of player you want to be, whether it’s high performance, college or recreational.”
On the educational side, his youth council features 15 students. Creating a program that gives students the opportunity to learn and grow in a real-world setting was something Hooks made a priority when launching the CTA.
The council elected officers, wrote a mission statement, has regular meetings and has goals of fundraising and introducing their peers to tennis.
Hooks’ girlfriend, Amy Lafleur, serves as the treasurer of Six Love and works directly with the youth council as their advisor.
“What’s better than getting their own peers into the sport,” Hooks said. “I’m just thinking about getting and keeping these kids in the USTA and in tennis, and I want to set them in the right direction so when it comes time for them to maybe join the USTA Connecticut Board or USTA New England Board, they will be excited and ready. By time they get to be 25, they’ll be way more advanced than I am.”
Hooks has his mind set on a bright future for the sport of tennis and youth players, and he thought to himself what better way to expedite that vision than by joining the USTA New England Board of Directors.
“I looked at the questions that the Board hoped to address and those were some of the issues I’ve wanted to talk about, so I casually applied and didn’t really know where it would take me.”
Despite his deep desire to serve, Hooks remained cautiously optimistic, thinking it was likely a long shot to be elected at his age.
Much to his surprise, he received a call letting him know he had been selected and would be sworn in at the January 2021 Board Meeting.
“His deep desire to grow and learn and contribute towards the mission of USTA New England, made him an ideal candidate to join the Board,” said Bill Leong, Senior Director, Association Executive Management & Innovation for USTA and directly supports diverse section initiatives. “Marcus' background and experience in diverse community engagement will add different perspectives to the Board room and will bring a positive business impact for the organization.”
“Being elected to the Board means a lot to me. It’s crazy to think where I started in tennis to now having a big say in what happens in New England,” he said. “I feel I’ll be impactful because of my outside view of the sport. There’s a box around tennis and I grew up on the outside looking in. The fact that I think that way and come from a place where tennis wasn’t popular, will help in the ongoing battle we’re trying to solve by getting new kids to play the game.”