Indya Thomas, and her 17-year-old son, Kamau, have recently accomplished a remarkable feat by graduating together from Georgia State University.
Indya, who was told she would never achieve success, faced significant challenges as a teenage mother. At just 17, she faced what is arguably the most terrifying thing a young woman could ever experience; having a baby out of wedlock with an absentee father.
Despite the difficulties of the situation and the implications that would come with it she decided to keep her baby.
This of course was met with resistance from her family, who did not support her decision to keep the child, and she ultimately ended up residing in a homeless shelter. “I had Kamau when I was 17 years old. We did not have a lot of people that supported me having him so young. I was told that I would never graduate from high school, let alone college. I was told I was going to ruin his life. So, it really gives me a lot of strength that we are here together,” Thomas told Blavity.
Thomas faced challenging circumstances but instead of losing hope, she used them as motivation to succeed. She found a good job that offered tuition reimbursement, which she took advantage of to pursue her education.
“They only cover certain schools in the university system. So, it was either Georgia State or UGA. I had to make a choice, and I wanted to do in-person classes, so Georgia State was a natural choice for me. It’s just fate,” Thomas said. “My path is going to be more service marketing. I know one thing is for certain I want to be a good role model for him.”
She enrolled at Georgia State University, majoring in marketing and minoring in hospitality.Due to the limitations of the tuition reimbursement program, Thomas had to choose between Georgia State and UGA.
Opting for in-person classes, she decided on Georgia State and viewed it as fate. She aspired to be a role model for her son and wanted to specialize in service marketing.
Her dedication inspired her son to enroll at the same university while she was attending classes. Although they didn’t have any classes together, their mutual love and support led them to a significant milestone in their lives.
Recently, the mother and son duo celebrated their graduation from GSU during the same weekend. Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree, while Gomes obtained an associate degree through DeKalb County Early College Academy’s dual enrollment program at Georgia State.
“I don’t think there are words to capture the amount of pride and just humility and love I have for this experience. Honestly, if there was a lifetime of living this one moment, that would be enough,” Thomas said.
Additionally, Gomes received a Gates scholarship worth $1,000 towards his tuition, which he plans to utilize as he continues his studies at GSU.
