A Bakersfield family of teachers have graduated with master's degrees together at the Mississippi State University. Dad Commondre Cole, son Ja'Coby Cole, and daughter Iesha Gully were among the 153 graduates who marched during the commencement exercises Thursday, May 12.
Commondre is a teacher at the Northwest Middle School, while Ja'Coby works at Oakland Heights Elementary. The father and son belong to the same Meridian Public School District. Gully, on the other hand, is a teacher at Northeast Elementary in the Lauderdale County School District.
Ja'Coby told Fox 13 News that teaching was not in his plans before as he wanted to play a sport professionally. However, since his father, sister, and mother, Jessica Cole, are all educators, he figured he should go the same path.
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"We're All Walking Together"
Commondre's mom, Mary, was proud of their accomplishments and posted the social media videos of the family of teachers receiving their diplomas. The dad said that his wife convinced him to take his master's studies with his children.
"I decided to go back with them, and we accomplished this, and we're all walking together," Commondre said via WTOK.
The MSU-Meridian campus is in the eastern central section of Mississippi. It is a non-residential university that offers site-based credit, non-credit course work, and distance learning. Nearly half of the student body live in Lauderdale County, while the rest of the students are from neighboring counties in Mississippi or Alabama.
Other Families Who Graduated Together
Meanwhile, at the Louisiana Delta Community College, a pair of father and son have graduated together as well. Breard Henderson Jr., 45, and Christian Lee Henderson, 25, received an Information Technology associates degree and marched in the same ceremony on Monday, May 16.
Breard said that Christian was his backbone in pursuing his degree. On the other hand, the son said that this was a unique and truly unforgettable experience for both of them.
Before attending college, Breard lost his job because the plant where he used to work shut down. Now, both father and son plan to continue further studies and earn their master's degrees. However, they also acknowledged that they need to secure jobs before applying for their next path in education.
In New Jersey, mom of five Minerva Martínez, 51, graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology alongside her daughter, Janais Martínez, who will receive her degree in classical performance. She will travel to Italy in June to pursue her dream career as a mezzo-soprano.
The Martinez women are two of the 1,850 graduates of the William Paterson University, a nearly 200-year-old educational institution in the state. The school has international students from 57 countries as well.
Minerva works a part-time job as a substitute teacher, and Janais works in the kitchen of a local Chipotle restaurant. The mom and daughter were able to enroll at the college through the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund, per North New Jersey.
