A ceremony years in the making; a grandmother and her two daughters will walk across the stage at Mass Bay Community College after all earning their associate degrees together.
All graduates worked hard to get where they are, but these women had to work a little harder. Each of the daughters has kids of their own - six between the two of them - and this big family leaned on one another for support until the job was done.
"We're tired. Little break, just a little bit," said Eugenia Lee.
Eugenia is mom to Tanisha and Quiana and says watching them suffer injustices pushed her to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.
"It angered me as a mother and I said what can I do to help them? And I felt that my hands were tied so I made a decision. If I can become a lawyer, even at my age, I can get justice for somebody," said Eugenia.
A grandmother and her two daughters are earning diplomas today after pursuing their dreams together @MassBayCommCol !📚📖On @boston25 at 6:45, hear the one thing that kept them going — even when juggling work as single moms! pic.twitter.com/xtBFpMxD7D
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) May 17, 2018
Her tenacity was contagious and her daughters followed suit, even juggling many responsibilities as single moms.
"For my two kids, I had to do it for them. And I had to prove it to myself," said Lee.
Tanisha has a 10-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter and Quiana has four kids herself, ranging in age from one to 16.
"I've struggled with depression pretty much my whole life, so being able to go to school, push myself and show I'm better than being depressed, it helped," said Lee.
The women have one piece of advice for others with dreams:
"One small step. That's it. And the rest will be history."
Quiana is going into nursing, Tanisha is going to UMass Dartmouth for business and Eugenia is on the road to becoming a lawyer.
Cox Media Group