Vickie McBride has defied the odds of most teenage mothers. She had her son, Maurice, at only 13 years old. Despite the hardships the two have endured over the years, they have accomplished an amazing feat. They both have graduated with their doctorate degrees on the same day.
After having Maurice at a young age, Dr. Vickie McBride stayed in school and took care of her son with the help of her mother. She made it through college and graduate school with Maurice and 3 other children. Balancing parenting, school, and working was a definite challenge.
Dr. Maurice McBride had his troubles too. At age 16, he dropped out of high school and ended up in a juvenile probation facility. He told WRDW, “[I] started hanging out with some of the wrong people and got into some trouble.” When asked what turned his life around, he replied, “I picked up the bible and I started reading and I was like it all makes sense. I see how it actually comes to fruition. I see how I ended up here.”
Maurice made his education a priority. He got his GED and even went to school online while working in the music industry for Capitol Records. After receiving his masters and becoming a professor at Paine College, he talked to his mom and they both agreed to pursue their PhDs through Capella University: Vickie received a PhD in K-12 Education and Maurice received a PhD in Organizational Management.
Dr. Vickie’s encouragement to others: “For those who have gone through [tough situations]. You can be successful. You can be anything. You can do anything once you make up your mind that that is what you want to do. Set a goal and go for it.”
BMWK – This is an awesome example of people not letting their circumstances or statistics define them. Please share examples of people you know that have overcome challenges in their lives.
Hear them tell their story in the video from WRDW below: