Dr. Tiffany M. Gethers

The 2Gethers Foundation

“Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to start a nonprofit organization.... While I didn’t really understand what that meant when I was younger, I just knew that I wanted to help those in need.”

By Ellen Richardson

Photos by Micheal Duncan

While some people may dedicate their lives and careers to fame or riches, there are those who follow a path towards using their God-given talents and passions to help others succeed. This is the truest story of Dr. Tiffany Gethers. She is the president and co-founder of The 2Gethers Foundation. a dual state nonprofit organization serving the Dallas Fort Worth and Chicagoland areas, that is dedicated to empowering first-generation students in the attainment of a college degree and the achievement of academic and life excellence. She shares how she found her path towards helping others at an early age.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to start a nonprofit organization,” said Dr. Gethers. “While I didn’t really understand what that meant when I was younger, I just knew that I wanted to help those in need. As this passion grew, another interest also developed – a love for education. I often tell people that if there were something higher than a doctorate degree, my crazy self would have probably pursued it.”

As this lover of learning continued to pursue higher education, she would find out why God had given her such a fervent love for knowledge. “During my time as a doctoral student, I did a research study on the persistence and retention of firstyear, first-generation college students at Governors State University,” said Dr. Gethers. “As a first-generation college student, I was very interested in finding out what the retention rate was for college freshmen to continue to their sophomore or junior year.” After finding a considerable number of students were leaving college before obtaining a degree, Dr. Gethers decided to find a way to help improve these retention rates, particularly among at-risk student populations.

“I wanted to help because I saw myself in these students,” said Dr. Gethers. “As someone who had overcome many of the same barriers as many of these students do, I could relate to the challenges they were facing as well. I realized the dream that I had as a little girl would involve assuring at-risk first-generation students would have access to higher education and the resources to stay the course to obtain a college degree. In my first year of college, I found out that I was pregnant. I was 18 years old; in my first semester of college, I found out that I would be a mom. While I wanted to have children someday, I was just sure that this would crush my dreams. I always wanted to go to college, was finally here and now I have to decide if I am going to leave my dream behind.”

Although Dr. Gethers would walk away from a four-year university to become a young mother, this would not stop this lover of learning from pursuing higher education. “While I was living at home and was preparing to become a first-time mother, I still felt like I should be doing something to keep my dream alive,” she said. After enrolling in a local community college, the next challenge would come. “A few months into the first semester, my doctor put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, so I would once again have to drop out of school.”

Despite these hurdles, following the birth of her daughter, Dr. Gethers would find herself back on track. “I had an angel in the form of my mother who quit her job so that I could go back to school,” she said. Although it would take six years and a few additional hurdles, Dr. Gethers would go on to achieve her dream of obtaining a college degree. “I couldn’t have done this without my mother, who decided that allowing me to pursue my dreams was more important than her pursuing her own.”

Along with support from her mother and other family members, Dr. Gethers also had help from other college professors who ensured that she had the necessary resources to finish and obtain her degree. “It was so wonderful to have this support, which is exactly what other students need.”

Dr. Gethers had a desire to pay it forward. She was well equipped with adequate education, including a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Roosevelt University and a Doctor of Education from Governors State University. She set her sights on achieving the dream that began when she was a young girl, and founded The 2Gethers Foundation in 2018 along with her husband, David.

The 2Gethers Foundation provides several programs and services to enhance first-generation students’ academic, social, and career development such as scholarships for high school seniors, who will be the first in their families to attend college. To date they have awarded a total of $37,000 in scholarships. There is a mentorship program, free workshops and seminars on various topics for students and parents, as well as a mobile food pantries on college campuses.

“We also go as far as sending care packages to several of our students as food insecurity on college campuses is a huge problem,” said Dr. Gethers. “Last year, we also launched a mentorship and leadership development program called Defy The Odds, where high school and college students were paired with leaders across various industries to help them set and achieve their immediate goals as well as navigate through any challenges they were faced with. This gave students a look at a successful future and the opportunity to see why it is so important to give back to their community.” Because of Dr. Gethers desire to help and serve others, many students who may have never had the opportunity to attend college will be able to. She is an excellent example of what hard work and determination look like.