Yvonne Spann Sowers, a 71-year-old African American mother from Charleston, South Carolina, proudly graduated from college at the same time as her daughter, Eyamba.
Sowers graduated from W.L. Bonner College, achieving her long-held dream of earning her bachelor’s degree in biblical studies.
“I always had a yearning to learn more about the word of God and what it did, it enhanced my understanding of the word of God,” she told ABC News 4.
What’s more, Sowers’ daughter, Eyamba, graduated a month later from National University with a master’s degree in homeland security and emergency management.
“It just lined up to where my mom graduated in May, and I’ll be graduating in June with my master’s degree,” Eyamba said. “Watching her throughout my life has always been an inspiration, and when I was watching her achieve her dream of getting the bachelor’s degree and seeing how well she did, it just forced me to want to excel as well.”
Yvonne and Eyamba have not only completed their degrees but have done so with distinction. They both graduated cum laude, with Yvonne finishing at the top of her class as valedictorian.
For this mother-daughter duo, their graduation serves as a powerful reminder that it is never too late to chase your dreams.
“Growing up in a single-parent home and being a single mom in my life, and just the challenges in life, and I was able to overcome this and do these things — it is just a journey that I’m glad that I took,” Eyamba said. “There is nothing too hard or challenging that if you put your mind to it that you cannot achieve if you work towards it.”