Name: Amira Swoope
Hometown: West Palm Beach
High School: Suncoast High School
University: Tuskegee University
Major: Chemical Engineering
Scholarships:
Boone Horticultural Scholarship
Gubelmann Family Foundation Scholarship
To say that Amira Swoope has overcome a lot to be where she is today would be an understatement.
Her mom, an elementary school teacher, had to have open heart surgery when Amira was a senior in high school, which added emotional and financial strain on the family.
She lost her closest friend from college to Covid during the pandemic.
And then in December 2022, her beloved father, who had become her best friend, died in a tragic car accident on his way to play golf.
Despite all of that, Amira has not only prevailed but thrived.
As one of two daughters from a middle-class family, Amira couldn’t wait to go to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee with her best friend from high school. But her dad had other ideas.
It was his vision that Amira would go to Tuskegee University, the private, historically black land-grant university with a rich and storied history in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Amira was reluctant but agreed to visit the college with her parents during one high school spring break. Despite experiencing culture shock and the fact that it was “in the country,” Amira realized her dad was adamant and she had no other choice.
The only question was, how would her college education get paid for?
And so the hunt for scholarships began. Amira’s guidance counselor handed her a packet, which included information about two scholarships at the Community Foundation, which she ended up being awarded
“It all worked out perfectly,” she said. “The scholarships made a huge difference and have helped open so many doors I never thought possible, including the close relationship I developed with my dad as a result. And receiving them motivated me. It represented an investment and people who believed in me, so I knew I had to get it done.”
Amira quickly settled into life at Tuskegee, making friends and getting involved in a number of activities, including a sorority, clubs and honor societies.
Upon graduating and doing a stint in manufacturing at Altec Industries, Amira landed her dream career with global security and aerospace giant, Lockheed Martin in 2019.
“That was definitely a big deal for me,” she said. “The Community Foundation scholarships set me up for success, both educationally and professionally.”
Her first role with the company in Courtland, Alabama, less than five miles from where her grandfather was born, was on the electronic assembly side of the business building cables for support equipment. From there she moved into a program engineer role supporting the missile defense agency.
Missing Florida and her mom, Amira decided to move back to Florida last year. Now at the forefront, she works out of Lockheed’s Riviera Beach office as a senior program quality engineer focused on supplier customer relations.
About to get her master’s degree online in materials and systems engineering from Alabama A&M, at 31, Amira seems determined to keep the momentum going. And while she misses her dad and talking to him every day, Amira is immensely grateful for the impact and influence he has had on her life.
As a result of his strong spirit of giving back, volunteering and helping others, Amira now does the same through mentoring, speaking to college students and helping the homeless.
“One of dad’s sayings he would always tell me, no matter what the situation, is ‘sunny skies are on the horizon,” she said. “For me, the Foundation scholarships were the sunny skies.” And for Amira, despite all that she’s been through, her future is indeed bright.
