A former teen mother in North Carolina who earned her PhD is beaming with pride because her daughter is reaching incredible goals, just like she did.
Dr. Dorothy Miller’s daughter recently graduated from the program her mother created, LiveAction reported Saturday.
To make the story more special, the young woman’s graduation happened 13 years ago to the day since her mom finished nursing school.
A photo shows the pair with huge smiles on their faces, clearly proud of their accomplishments and full of love for one another:
From being an impoverished teen mom in rural North Carolina to watching her daughter graduate from a nursing program she…
Posted by People on Sunday, July 23, 2023
Once she gave birth to her beloved child, Miller finished high school, joined the military, and eventually earned her PhD.
May 7 was a very special day for her family because her daughter, whose name is Chaquita Bandy, graduated from St. Andrews University where she completed a nursing program Miller herself created to help other aspiring medical professionals.
One day Bandy spotted her mom’s degree, opened it, and “I said, ‘Did you know that you graduated on May 7?’ And she was like, ‘Really?’ Then I opened mine and I was like, ‘We graduated on the same day!'”
Miller currently serves as the Health Services Chair for St. Andrews University in Laurinburg. She was in ninth grade when she learned she was pregnant.
However, her own mother gave her the help and support she needed to move forward with her life. The woman made sure she was back in school a few days after giving birth, not allowing her to give up on her education.
“My mother had to stop going to school when she was in the third grade because she had to go work on the farms. She knew that education would be the vehicle that would take me to a better future,” Miller told People.
During the tough years after leaving the military, her mother helped with the baby while Miller worked two jobs and enrolled in nursing school.
In 2021, she launched St. Andrews’ school nursing program from which her daughter graduated.
Now, Miller is paving the way for her children and other people to achieve great things, even when they face hard times.
She said, “What some people saw as a mistake, having a child so young, to me was a catalyst… By having her, it pushed me to do something outside of me so that I could have a better future for her.”
According to LiveAction’s website, teenage mothers have five life roles that include mother, seeker, student, employee, and teenager.
Meanwhile, Bandy also wants others to pursue their goals, no matter the circumstances they may face.
“A person’s walk of life is not linear and sometimes you veer off course. But despite your missteps, you have to trust that God knows your purpose and path — and he will get you to where you supposed to be,” she told People.
