When he was five, the son promised his mother they would graduate together
When Immanuel Patton from Maryland was five years old, he promised his mother that he and his mother would get their college degree at the same time. Now, that promise has been fulfilled; both mother and son have graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Promise
It all started with a promise. When young Immanuel Patton was five years old, he told his mother that they would graduate together. According to Good Morning America he told is mother: “…one day, it’s gonna be you and me. We’re going to get our degrees at the same time.” His mother, Carolyn Patton, just wanted her son to graduate and wasn’t thinking about her own degree. She told GMA: “For me, I had sort of gave up on it because I had already accomplished some associate’s degrees and then I had started my bachelor’s degree back in 1995 but life happened. Things got in the way,” But Immanuel never let his mom forget about the promise and in 2020, they both enrolled with University of Maryland Global Campus.
Hard
Besides studying, Carolyn Patton works as a coordinator at Anne Arundel Community College and when they started classes that fall, it got harder to keep going. Especially when the classes got more advanced. But Immanuel Patton made sure his mother tried her best. He told the morning show: “I said, ‘Ma, you’ve got to keep it going. I know you want to stop. We got to keep going.’ The main thing was just trying to get everything lined up and stay on top of her as well stay on top of myself.”
Success
And their perseverance paid off; in December 2022 both Carolyn and her son Immanuel graduated from college. Carolyn got a bachelor of arts degree in humanities and Immanuel got a science degree in public safety administration. The Pattons are very proud of their achievements. Carolyn told GMA: “I’m very proud of him that he has crossed off all the [items on his] checklist from birth till 23 years old. I’m so happy that we went that route because right now, look at us, we both have our bachelor’s degrees.” Both of them called the experience one “of a lifetime”.
The University of Maryland Global Campus President Gregory Fowler responded to the achievements, saying the school is inspired by the Pattons’ commitment and support. He told Good Morning America: “…for [Immanuel] to make that pledge at such a young age is truly remarkable. That we have helped him fulfill his childhood promise to Carolyn makes us all extremely proud. They were able to lift each other up at critical times during their journey. At UMGC we know that each learner may have different needs or start from different places—as exemplified by Immanuel and Carolyn—and our promise to all is that we will meet them where they are and support them as they transform their lives and the lives of those they love.”
Now that both of them have graduated, Carolyn will stay in her current job and Immanuel got a job at UMGC as a success coach. He will be helping other students achieve their college dreams.
Also read: Welcome gift: students build their new classmate a robotic hand
Source: Good Morning America | Image: Unsplash, Charles DeLoye