PEMBROKE – When Tamara Locklear crossed the stage at UNC Pembroke last month to receive her master’s degree in social work, it was a moment of triumph over some of life’s most profound challenges.

Tamara’s road to graduation was shaped by personal battles that would have derailed many. While pursuing her degree, she faced the emotional weight of watching her mother fight Stage 3 cervical cancer. Just as her mother found healing, Tamara received her own devastating diagnosis—cervical cancer, the same illness her mother had battled.

“I was completely devastated,” Tamara recalled. “I was completely devastated, but my faith never wavered, and I stood on a firm foundation of God’s promises over my life.”

Her diagnosis led to major surgery and an eight-week recovery. Despite the pain, fear an

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