Mother and son graduate from the same US university on the same day, sets record
On the same day, Indya Thomas, the mother, and Kamau Gomes, her son, received their degrees from Georgia State University in the United States.
At the age of 17, Indya Thomas, a former teen mother, gave birth to her son Kamau. In an interview with Blavity, she said that she had been told for years that she would never succeed.
She claimed that finding out she was pregnant at such a young age caused her to go through a challenging time in her life at the age of 17. She ended up living in a homeless shelter because her family did not support her decision to keep the child.
“I had Kamau when I was 17 years old. We did not have a lot of people that supported me having him so young. I was told that I would never graduate from high school, let alone college. I was told I was going to ruin his life. So, it gives me a lot of strength that we are here together,” she said.
Indya said instead of losing hope, she used her difficult circumstances to motivate herself to succeed. She mentioned that she managed to secure a good job that offered tuition reimbursement.
She added that she took that opportunity and enrolled in classes at Georgia State University, where she pursued a major in marketing and a minor in hospitality.
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They exclusively cover specific university system schools. So, it was either UGA or Georgia State. When I had to choose, Georgia State was the obvious decision because I wanted to take classes in person. “It’s simply fate,” Indya remarked.
I’m going to pursue a career in service marketing. One thing is certain: I want to set a good example for him,” she continued.
Indya stated that she was able to inspire her son, who decided to enroll at the university while she was attending classes there. Although they never had classes together, their love and support for each other led them to a significant milestone in their lives.
The mother and son duo graduated from the university on the same day. Indya with her bachelor’s degree and 17-year-old Gomes graduated with an associate degree from his dual enrollment at the university through the DeKalb County Early College Academy program.
“I don’t think there are words to capture the amount of pride and just humility and love I have for this experience. Honestly, if there was a lifetime of living this one moment, that would be enough,” Indya said.
Gomes stated that he plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Exercise in sports science at Georgia State University after he was awarded a Gates scholarship worth $1,000 for his tuition fees.
