Daughter’s pursuit of degree inspiring

The graduates are on their way. The diplomas have been handed out, now it’s on to the next stage.

For some it’s more schooling, for others it’s a job; some waited for that diploma to get married, others will be going into the military and some will go into the family business.

This is a story for those who haven’t finished yet. Maybe you’re thinking it’s tough to push on. You might be thinking of dropping out of school, whether it’s high school or college. You may have already quit.

I’ll tell you the story of my youngest daughter, Robyn.

She had plenty of excuses to quit her education but she didn’t. Robyn got pregnant in high school. In her home region of Appalachia, as in many parts of the country, that meant her educational future was derailed.

But Robyn married her high school sweetheart, had that sweet baby girl and soon had a high school diploma in hand.

Robyn wanted more, though. She wanted college. She saw others found a way to get there, she figured she could do it too. She wanted her piece of the pie, her chance at the future.

For a while she thought she’d be a veterinarian. But after her daughter was born she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be a math teacher because she had done well in those classes in high school.

I found her choice of math teacher to be an interesting one. I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to get a passing grade in high school algebra.

When it came to going to college, Robyn had her work cut out for her. She had a toddler to care for, a daily commute to negotiate, she had to figure out where to get the money for classes and she had a marriage that would end in divorce.

But something inside kept her going. She wasn’t going to quit. She entered college and began her work toward a teaching certificate.

Two years into her course work she found she was expecting a second child. Undeterred she pushed on in her studies.

She had dreams in which college professors would pass her in the school’s halls and whisper, “She’s not going to make it.” And yet, at night, when the babies slept, she found she had peaceful time to do her homework.

Finally, in the spring of 2005, 25-year-old Robyn walked to the podium at her college and received her degree in education. In a matter of weeks, she packed up the kids, moved to a new city and started her career as a math teacher.

I hope in telling this story it will change someone’s mind about dropping out of school. I don’t know what it takes to inspire someone to succeed, no matter what, but somehow Robyn got it.

I hope you do too.

Grant McGee hosts the weekday morning show on KTQM-FM in Clovis. Contact him at:

[email protected]