I have attended so many graduations, but I’ve only participated in two. It’s such an odd milestone. It caps what is usually a long journey and celebrates the beautiful unknow of the future. Up until this point there has been a schedule, a set goal, and challenges, seen or unseen. But the future, the next steps in front of each graduate may not be so clear. As I write this I think to high school graduation. That’s the ceremony most people will be a part of all. Not all, but most. Depending on your school, you’ll sit there for hours waiting for 15 seconds of glory. A fleeting moment where your name will be called out and hopefully pronounced correctly for your family and friends to scream in support. Then it’s over. The next name is called and the next group of supporters will cry out for the next kid. Then what?

This past June, my youngest daughter graduated from high school. As I was looking through past blogs that just seems so wild to me. She was just a baby not too long ago. Not only did it mark a new chapter in her life but it marked a new chapter in my life. Soon all of my kids would be out of the house and in college. I have four kids and to have all of them in college seems like I’ve won the lottery. I never pushed college on any of them. It was hard to do so since I had never finished college myself. So as they have slowly transitioned into this new phase of life, it’s caused me to reflect on my own journey.

I don’t remember a lot about my high school graduation. I am part of the class of 2000. We graduated on the turn of a millennia. It was such a huge event. We had just survived Y2K and the internet was booming. The future seemed limitless and I had a plan. I was accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology. I had been given a big scholarship and was going to be a successful engineer. That was the plan. I would graduate, travel and explore in my twenties and then get married around the age of 27 or 28. It all seemed so clear to me.

That was not the case. I am smart but sometimes that allows me to rely on talent instead of hard work. As I have learned over the years, hard work will beat talent every time. So I failed my first year of college. I also broke my ankle in the spring quarter and ended up needing surgery in the summer after my freshman year of college. I’m not exactly sure the precise reason I didn’t return to RIT, but I can say I didn’t really try to get back there. I probably should have but that is another discussion for another day. I stayed home and shifted gears.

Finishing my degree became something that hung over me for the rest of my adult life. I would take classes at the local community college. I would do well and pass some and I would be distracted by life and bomb others. It was a cycle that continued for years. Often I would look at the courses and credits needed to finish and say it was going to take forever. Taking 1-2 courses a semester meant my degree would take close to 8 years to finish. Who has time for that? Eventually, I looked back and thought, I could have been finished if I would have stuck with it. I focused on building a career but what can you really do with just a high school diploma?

I had kids that needed me and I was trying to provide for my family. That meant working multiple jobs and lots of sacrifices. It was worth it. They were my priority and I would have to put school even further on the back burner. As my kids got older, I eventually started classes again and I completed my associates degree. I even got two additional certificates. One in e-commerce and one in business. I was excited to “Walk”. My family came and a few friends. I sat in the chairs in the gym and waited for my turn to go across the stage. I walked, they called my name, and that was it. I didn’t feel any different, I didn’t feel better, I didn’t feel like I had really done anything. It was a step in the right direction, but I had my eyes on a bigger prize.

That is the first time I heard of GCU. I’m not even sure where. It was probably online. I must have reached out through the website because I spoke with someone over the phone about taking classes online. We reviewed transfer credits and I was even offered a campus visit (which I should have gone on). I still had a long way to go but it was doable. Then Covid happened and the world shut down. That wouldn’t normally matter for an online student but I still had a family to provide for. Over the course of 2020 I ended up working 3 jobs at once. I would sleep, eat and work. There was no room for school.

That spring we also lost Kobe, Gigi, and others in a tragic helicopter crash. Kobe had been an inspiration to me for so many years. His famous Mamba Mentality had always been a driver. But as 2020 went on, I felt like I was drowning. He was once quoted saying, “If you’re tired, do it tired.” I was tired. It felt like I was stuck and there was no way out. The future that I had once focused on was gone. I was in survival mode.

As the post-Covid world began to look normal again I was only working one job, navigating a divorce and still trying to provide for my now 4 teenagers. I was also discovering who I was again. There was a lot going on but it felt manageable. Then in October of 2024 I saw a job posting for Grand Canyon University. It had been years since I had seen that name. Maybe that was Lord. His timing is perfect and often that’s why things happen the way they do. I opened the job posting and saw a position with the school as an enrollment counselor for the online program in SLO county. I reviewed the job description and really felt like I fit what they were looking for and it seemed interesting. And then I read the requirements. A Bachelors degree. I didn’t have one of those. I had decades of experience but that pieces of paper could open and close doors for you. It usually closed them for me.

I applied anyway and I was actually given an interview. It was the first of 3. The second interview would be a 1 on 1 interview over Zoom. I was schedule to be in new hire training that day with T-Mobile. I wasn’t really sure what to do. I decided to take a leap of faith and declined my offer from T-Mobile and put all my eggs in the GCU basket. Everything went great and I was eventually offered the position, but with one caveat. I had to complete my degree.

I’m going to be honest with you, tears are coming to my eyes as I wrote that last sentence. It’s 2026 now. I’m sitting at the desk in my room at the Hilton in downtown Phoenix. Two of my daughters are asleep in one of the beds and I’ll be moving them into the dorms at GCU this afternoon. I’m also graduating in October. I AM GRADUATING! It’s taken 26 years and I truly think this is the timing that the Lord had for me. Not only had GCU been such an amazing job with an amazing team. They paid for me to finish my degree. As I have worked with students over the past few years, I have shared with them my journey and how GCU has allowed me to finish something that meant so much to me. GCU is also providing a path for my girls as well and I’m so grateful.

My sister has 6 degrees including a Masters from Cal Baptist. My other sister should be wrapping up her undergrad soon. I have plans for an MBA in the future. My 4 wonderful children have started on their next chapters in life. My oldest will graduate from her undergrad program in May of 2027. I’m so incredibly proud of her. My son just started trade school and I can see his excitement. My other two girls are beginning the BSN program at GCU. I’m just happy I finished before them. I’m happy we are all moving forward. I’m happy that there is limitless possibilities in the future. I can’t wait to see how the rest of this story unfolds.

So. Go chase your dreams. I don’t care how old they are or how far fetched they may seem. Chase them. You can’t ignore your responsibilities, but you absolutely can manage both. It’s not easy but it can be done. I know this because I’ve done it. It feels so good to say that. I have done it. If I can do it, you can do it. It’s ok if there are ups and downs or the occasional side quest. You’re journey will be yours alone. The most important thing to remember to keep moving forward. Any progress is good progress.

Or, Dr. Suess may have said it best:

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way!