Mother And Son Duo Make Graduation A Family Affair

Aaron Williams (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Vocational) has known since boyhood how important education is.
 
The Chicago State men's basketball student-athlete said his mother ensured he and his brother went to class and took school seriously because they wouldn't have anything without an education.
 
This May, not only is Aaron scheduled to graduate from Chicago State. So is his mother Tonya.
 
"It's everything I wanted [as a parent]," Tonya said. "It's like getting something I thought would never happen."
 
Tonya began her collegiate career at Chicago State in 1983. She completed one semester before learning she was pregnant with her first son.
 
After giving birth, she suffered from postpartum depression, which prevented her from being able to raise her son and furthering her education. When she recovered, Tonya decided she would be a stay-at-home mother to her sons.
 
Tonya and Aaron's father, Kevin, made an effort to keep their children safe from gangs and other peer pressures. For example, they drove their children to and from school, practice and AAU tournaments to keep their focus on education and athletics instead of outside influences.
 
"My mom made sure my brother and I went to class and took it serious because you don't have anything without an education," Aaron said.
 
In 2010, Tonya's parents died. Though saddened, she used her grief and set out to finish her education.
 
"I think the best way to overcome grief or loss is to get involved," Tonya said. "I knew that I always wanted to earn a degree. I said, 'I'm going to do what I set out to do and go back to college.'"
 
Tonya had collected credits from junior college throughout the years, but she couldn't make it work as a full-time student. When she returned to Chicago State, however, she had more confidence and was focused on what she wanted. Though nervous, she quickly transitioned to an honor student and made the Dean's List.
 
Aaron said he didn't mind that his mother chose to attend his school.
 
"I thought it was great," he said. "I couldn't believe that she broke through. She had been through so many obstacles and finally stuck to it. I'm very proud of my mother."
 
Mother and son even sat next to each other in a math class.
 
"I welcomed it and was happy to be in the same class," Aaron said.
 
During her three years at Chicago State, Tonya said she grew as a person.
 
"It's made me appreciate life more," she said. "It's made me more motivated to help people, and I see the world in another light now."
 
Tonya is expected to graduate with a degree in psychology and is looking forward to transitioning from stay-at-home mother to working woman. She hopes her degree will help her expand her role at Threshold, a nonprofit where she currently volunteers. Threshold provides healthcare, housing and other services to persons with mental illness.
 
"I'm looking forward to working with the mental illness population," she said. "That's my calling."
 
Aaron, meanwhile, will graduate in May with eye on returning to Chicago State in the fall. Aaron is redshirting this season with plans to come back for his final year of eligibility at Chicago State next year as a graduate student.
 
Also this spring, Aaron's brother Evan is expected to graduate from Eastern Illinois.
 
Tonya said she is proud that her and her sons are graduating from college.
 
"It takes me back to the first time I came back to Chicago State," she said. "It's like the icing on the cake for me."