A mirror in her aunt’s dining room inspired Candy Chambers to create her first classroom. The 9-year-old wrote lesson plans on that mirror using washable markers to teach her brothers and cousins as she pretended to work in her dream job.
This straight-A, first-generation Spartan in UNC Greensboro’s School of Education will graduate in May with a degree in elementary education. Receiving the Eloise N. Eller 1965 Scholarship in Education last year aided her journey to becoming a teacher. This scholarship supports undergraduate students pursuing careers in elementary education and was founded in 2021 by Tommy Eller to honor his sister, Eloise N. Eller, a 1965 graduate of UNCG.
Chambers says the scholarship has been a godsend to her family. “It really helps us with the burden of paying bills as I move closer to finally achieving my dream,” she says.
That goal began in 2012, when the then-single mom started studying radiology at Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) while working full time, six days a week, to raise her infant daughter. She met her husband, had two sons, and continued studying at GTCC until graduating with an associate’s degree in 2024, after which she transferred to UNCG to achieve her goal. Pretending to be a teacher in her aunt’s dining room helped hone Chambers’ love of the classroom, and she knew precisely how she would bring her vision to life at UNCG.
“I grew up quickly and know things can change suddenly, which makes me really focus on what I want to achieve in my life,” she says. “I will not just do the bare minimum. I will give it my all because that’s how I’ve survived every challenge I’ve faced. For every setback, I’ve had an even better comeback.”
Chambers recalls the turmoil of being raised in chaos due to her mother’s drug abuse and prison time. Despite the sadness and instability, she survived thanks to her aunt’s resilience and hard work, as well as the support of her teachers.
Chambers chose teaching because of the impact those teachers had on her. “I realized that teaching is not just about the curriculum. It’s about the support, too,” she says. “When my mom lost us to my aunt, my teachers were very supportive. I’d stay after school to help them file folders, write on the board, or clean their rooms. That was my first real taste of teaching. I look at school differently because those teachers were there because I needed someone. I want to be that type of teacher, too. I want to be that shining light for other students who don’t have that at home, or who might be going through what I went through.”
Chambers is deeply grateful for the opportunities the scholarship has given her. “I can’t begin to thank the Ellers enough for this wonderful scholarship,” she says. “It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for something like this because I come from a family that doesn’t have those experiences.”
The Eller Scholarship Endowment was part of UNCG’s Light the Way: The Campaign for Earned Achievement, with the goals of increasing access, elevating academic excellence, and enhancing the tremendous impact of UNCG’s programs.
