Scholarship Student Spotlight: Tanika Bunbury

Tanika Bunbury has always wanted to know how things work. Growing up around relatives who worked in carpentry, masonry, and other construction trades, she was fascinated by what they did and eager to help. But when she asked to join in, the response was often the same.

“This isn’t for girls. This isn’t for women.” Tanika never quite believed that. “I’ve always been interested in building things, putting things together,” she said. “I’m always wondering how things work and function.”

Years later, an unexpected career change gave her the opportunity to finally pursue that interest. During the COVID pandemic, Tanika was laid off from her job in clinical research. When returning to the field proved difficult, she began thinking seriously about what she enjoyed and what she wanted her next chapter to look like. The answer led her to the skilled trades.

Tanika began with a pre-apprenticeship program sponsored by the Durham Professional and Business Chain, exploring electrical work, plumbing, and carpentry. She enjoyed all three and wanted to continue her education, which brought her to Durham Tech.
Here, she has done more than acquire technical skills. She has tested herself.

Despite a longtime discomfort with heights, Tanika found herself climbing onto the roof of a small training structure as part of her coursework. During one class, she made it to the top of the ladder. By the next, she was on the roof and working. “That was a big step for me,” she said.

Today, Tanika is preparing for a future in project management, project coordination, or site management and hopes to secure an internship that will provide valuable industry experience.

But returning to school while supporting a family presented another challenge. Tanika is the mother of three children. One daughter recently finished school, another daughter is preparing to attend college, and her son is considering civil or aerospace engineering. While searching for employment herself, paying for her own education would have been difficult.

Support from the Ram Jack Foundation Solutions Scholarship changed that equation.
“The Ram Jack Scholarship has been a blessing for me because without it, I don’t know that I’d be enrolled in school right now,” Tanika said.
For Tanika, the scholarship represents more than help with tuition. It has given her the opportunity to take a chance on herself.

“Being able to actually follow my heart and go into the trades is not typical but it’s something I’m enjoying, and I’m really finding a true love and passion for it,” she said. “Ram Jack is giving me an opportunity to explore this field. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
Tanika also understands that simply pursuing the trades can have an impact. By choosing a field women and girls have historically been discouraged from entering, she can help others see new possibilities for themselves. “The good thing about it is that other women and girls will see us and they’ll say, ‘Okay, I belong here. This is for me as well.’”
That is what scholarship support can make possible: not simply paying for a class, but giving a student the opportunity to change direction, discover a calling, and build a future.

For Tanika, the Ram Jack Foundation Solutions Scholarship helped open that door, and she is definitely prepared to walk through it!