A mother and her daughter always seem to have a special bond, no matter what culture. But Karen Hunter and her youngest daughter Latrice share something more than just a bloodline. The two both obtained their bachelor’s degrees from colleges in Virginia the same month!
The moment is a long time coming for Karen Hunter, 53, who got her degree in sociology from Norfolk State University this past weekend. The mother of two dropped out of school during her senior year more than 30 years ago after she had become a mom.
Karen Hunter only had 13 credits to go. But she was determined to make sure her child was taken care of and put off schooling. Karen’s mother and Latrice’s grandmother, Harriet Godfrey (pictured below), never learned to read or write, which is why higher education is so important to this family. Not only did grandma get the opportunity to see her grandchildren graduate from college, she also got the opportunity to see her amazing daughter go back to school and graduate.
Latrice posted the pictures on her facebook and twitter and they quickly went viral.
“I cant thank everyone individually for all the love we’ve been getting,” she said on facebook. “But I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart .. I wanted to tell a story with those pictures for people can get inspired to finish or even start school…at the end of the day people can take everything you have away from you but they cant take your mind and your education! Blessings to all of you”
“I dropped out because I knew I had to take care of my daughter [Shonda Godfrey] and at the time I couldn’t do a lot of multitasking with working and going to school,” she told ABC News. “I was overwhelmed. I felt like I was a quitter…”
After she got married and went to work at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, 20 years ago, and then gave birth to Latrice, Karen Hunter was still unsure if she should finish school. Still, her two daughters encouraged her.
“She always told me to push through and not to give up on stuff. That’s why I wanted to make sure I returned the favor by motivating her [to finish school,]” Latrice Hunter told ABC News.
Her older sister, Shonda Godfrey added, “I was a child when she was in college and that kind of motivated me to go to college.”
In fact, Shonda Godfrey, 37, is now studying to obtain a Ph.D. in public health from Walden University. She’s…
… “very proud and ecstatic” that her mother finally finished her goal of getting a bachelor’s degree, she told ABC News.
Her younger sister agreed. “It means a lot,” Latrice Hunter said. “This is definitely something that I wont forget and I’ll always remember this time.”
For her own accomplishment, Karen Hunter said she’s “excited” to reach this milestone with her daughter.
And although she plans to continue to work at the Children’s Hospital, her daughter Latrice Hunter hopes to play basketball overseas after graduation and pursue a career in physical therapy.
Way to go family! A family that graduates together, stays together!
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