Sheryl Thompson struggled to hold back the tears as her daughter Sidoney Gordon greeted her at work dressed in graduation attire and holding her certificate.

Thompson was busy with her janitorial duties at Galilee Basic School when her proud daughter surprised her with proof that she had finally earned her university degree.

“You made it,” those were Thompson’s first words right after she and her daughter were able to compose themselves after they both broke down in tears during the reveal.

“It’s a great feeling for me to see is me alone as a single parent…I feel so good, where we are coming from, it’s a long journey, but when you trust and believe in God everything will work out,” said Thompson as she continued to struggle to hold back the tears.

She told the
Jamaica Observer that she was expecting her daughter to graduate from university years earlier, but she kept on encouraging her despite the setbacks.

“First of all, I was saying, ‘Sidoney, how mi nuh see you graduate?’ but she kept on saying, ‘Mommy, its not this year, its next year, and so forth,’ and every year became a next year, but she told me not to worry because she will graduate some way and soon,” said Thompson.

Gordon later explained that her progress to graduation was delayed by one course, financial management.

“I did that course three times and even on the third time I thought I got it, but I failed again. She [Thompson] was really the one who prayed for me every day and they say it’s the prayers that the mother prays that will bring you through,” said Gordon.

Recalling her struggles with the financial management course, Gordon said after her third attempt she was on the verge of giving up, especially when she saw her friends leaving her behind.

“I fell down seven times, but I got up and I had failures, but I finally made it. You know, everybody’s journey is different, everybody may start the race at the same time, but everybody has a different ending, a different finishing.

“I saw my friends leave me behind and was like, ‘What is it that I’m doing wrong?’ I got discouraged, but they were in my corner saying, ‘Sidoney, you can do it. Don’t give up. We’ll be there to support you on your day,’ “ added Gordon.

She said she did everything, from extra tutorial classes to countless all-nighters, to ensure she passed this time around.

According to Gordon, her mother was always her motivation, which allowed her not to give up.

“Even sometimes when I think I can’t, she said you can. She said never say never. She told me to believe in God, trust and have faith, and believe that I can do it and she helped me get through those times in my last semester when I felt like giving in,” said Gordon.

In the meantime, Thompson, while recalling some of the challenges she and her daughter faced in the past, said at no point did she stop believing in her daughter’s ability to make it this far, as they were no strangers to overcoming obstacles.

“I can remember in sixth grade when every student got their textbooks and I didn’t have it, and her form teacher stood there and shared some of his moments with me about him and his father growing up, and he said, ‘Don’t worry, mommy, things will be alright,’ and eventually we got her some old textbooks,” said Thompson.

She also recalled times when her daughter did not have shoes to wear to school and was heavily reliant on outside assistance to make it through.

“Sometimes I had to send her to the canteen and that friend mother, who passed off now, always fed her when she had nothing to eat. There was also this lady at Camperdown, Ms Allen, she was like her second mommy, she was there for her till now, so, yes, it was a struggle,” said Thompson.

Gordon, who will be graduating from The University of the West Indies with a degree in human resource management and a minor in management studies, said despite the challenges, she had to do everything she could to make her mother’s dream a reality.

“I know her dream was for me to graduate and break the generational curse, and I owe that to her and I also owe it to myself, because I know what I’m capable of. This is just the beginning and it only gets better from here,” she said.

Gordon explained that from a young age she always stepped up in any way she could to support her mother through the financial difficulties they encountered.

“To be honest, I see my mother struggling and I know what I was capable from I was as young as 15. I recall at 16 my mother was giving me lunch money and I’m like, ‘No, I’m good.’ So I actually assisted her when she was struggling to find a lunch money. I remember days I had to put cardboard in my shoes because it had holes… That’s how difficult and challenging it was. We had nobody to turn to, it was just her,” said Gordon.

She credits her brother who lives in the Cayman Islands for assisting her financially through school, but described her mother as her backbone who sacrificed everything for her, especially through the college years.

“She would visit me sometimes to ensure that I had food to eat, she was really the breadwinner through my college years and even before that, and she supported me mentally [and] physically. I recall she giving me her last just to buy supplements to help me with my studies, and I can’t repay her for that,” Gordon recalled.

Gordon is confident that this is only the beginning of her journey and is looking forward to doing more to continue supporting her mother as she strives for further excellence.

“Like I said, I’ve been supporting her from age 15, and it only gets better from here. I am planning to use my degree, [because] I see so many college students who are degree holders, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and they settle. I am willing to seek jobs in my field and I’m willing to use it to my fullest potential because I’ve worked so hard,” declared Gordon.