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Tamara D. Eskue

Biography

Summary: Tamara Eskue, 21, a Native American who once competed as a professional rodeo rider in the women's barrel-racing event and took care of horses, hopes to become a doctor in rural Texas. She has recorded a 3.87 grade point average at Grayson County College in Denison, TX, winning honors and membership in the Presidential Scholars Program. Her work as a nursing assistant and caring for her stepfather, who was severely injured in a car accident, has encouraged her to pursue a medical career.

Biography: Ms. Eskue, a Native American who once competed in rodeos and took care of horses, hopes to become a doctor in rural Texas, where she was born and raised. She learned strong work habits when she worked on a ranch for three years, providing feed, water, and hay to horses twice a day, seven days a week, and also cleaning out their stalls. "I believe this job taught me how to be responsible as well as a few other important life lessons," she wrote. "I developed a special bond with the horses and a lasting friendship with the owner."

While she was still in high school, Tamara took another job as a part-time nursing assistant in a medical center where she played a key role on the medical team. It helped shape her plans to start down the long road to medical school. She majored in biology as part of a pre-med program at Grayson County College (GCC) and achieved a 3.87 grade point average. The honors came fast: Ms. Eskue was elected to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, chosen for the Sigma Delta Kappa honor society for students of English, selected by fellow students to present a research project at a Presidential Scholars program at GCC, and listed in Who's Who Among American Junior College Students. Along the way, for several years, she also competed in women's barrel-racing events (and her husband entered bull-riding contests) at professional rodeos.

Ms. Eskue intends to seek a bachelor's degree in science before attending medical school. If she succeeds, she wants to practice in her home region, called Texoma, and live on a small ranch nearby. Jean Sorensen, an English professor at GCC, said this plan was typical of her prize student. She wrote, "For many students, higher education is their ticket out of town; for Tamara Eskue, higher education is her ticket to further benefiting the community."

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