Originally from St. Kitts and Nevis, Tamia Grant grew up on St. Croix and moved to St. Thomas to study biology at UVI. But a visit to UVI's Etelman Observatory changed everything. "Seeing all the telescopes and hearing the passion in the professors' voices was a life changing experience," she says. "I fell in love with physics!"
Now a senior majoring in physics and chemistry, Tamia plans to earn a master's degree in engineering and ultimately work as a systems engineer. "UVI has shaped me and helped me figure out what I want to do in life," she says. While at UVI, Tamia has completed an internship with NASA, participated in research programs at MIT and the University of Central Florida, attended multiple national conferences, and gained valuable work experience as a student worker in the College of Science and Mathematics. "Because the faculty are very helpful and so hands-on, I have had many opportunities," she notes.
Beyond academics, Tamia has immersed herself in many other activities at UVI and taken on important leadership roles. "I always had a passion for leadership," she states. In 2022, Tamia won the Miss UVI Ambassadorial Competition promoting mental health awareness during her reign. Now, she serves as the president of the Student Government Association on the St. Thomas campus where she hopes to foster better communication between students and administrators and strengthen school spirit. Tamia is also the president of the Society of Women Engineers and a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
"I believe women can do whatever they put their minds to, whenever they want to," she concludes.