Isaiah Ramirez and his mother, Angelique Davis, recently celebrated their Midland College graduation together after Davis took a 27-year break from classes.
A recent Midland College press release reported on the mother and son's educational journeys, resulting in Davis earning her degree at the same time as her youngest son. Ramirez said, “I remember being so proud of my mom when she decided to start back to school. I admired her motivation, and it rubbed off on me.”
Davis started classes at Midland College in Fall 1995 after graduating from Coleman High School. At high school graduation, Davis was already a single mother of one but sought the college experience her high school peers were having. She was working, in school, and caring for her child, and soon became pregnant with her second son. In the Midland College release, Davis said, "I was young, had two small boys and not enough time in the day. So, I had to quit school. I felt defeated.”
Davis had a third son at 23, and in 2007 began a successful career as a sales representative. She still wanted to complete her degree but couldn't find the time until 2020. With classes going online and a shifted work structure, Davis looked into continuing, saying, " I was working from home and my children were grown. I really had no excuse for not going back to school. One day I decided to visit with a Midland College advisor to see if my credits from the 1990s were still valid. After talking with my advisor, I realized that it wasn’t really all that complicated." Her credits would still count towards her degree, and she could resume where she'd left off.
Ramirez started his college journey in high school, enrolling in the Midland College/Midland ISD College & Careers Academy and taking dual credit Emergency Medical Services courses. Ramirez said, “That’s when I discovered that I had a passion for helping people. After high school graduation, I went through the Fire Academy, started working for the Midland Fire Department and continued pursuing a degree in Emergency Medical Services.”
Davis and Ramirez never took the same college classes but supported and encouraged each other to complete their degrees as part-time students. They didn't discover that they would share a graduation date until the Fall of 2022.
In May 2023, 27 years later Davis began her education at Midland College, Davis and Ramirez walked across the stage together during the Midland College Commencement Ceremony at the Al G. Langford Chaparral Center, where Davis received an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice, and Ramirez received a degree in Emergency Medical Services.
Each of them was asked if they had advice for people who may be in situations similar to theirs- Davis encouraged students in their 30s, 40s, and beyond not to fear the college application and enrollment process and talk to college advisers about any questions they have. Ramirez advised students to find good people that share common interests.
He and his mother took advantage of the online courses offered at Midland College and plan to pursue their Bachelor's degrees through online learning while continuing in their current jobs.