Mary Ann and Wesley Griffin lived in the same house, studied in the same space and walked across the same stage at the last graduation ceremony to be held in Dodson Auditorium before renovations closed it down this summer. However, the similarities in this mother’s and son’s educational journeys stop there.
Wesley, 20, had his path set when he received a scholarship from Eastman Chemical Company while a dual-credit student at West Rusk.
“That’s really what made me want to go to Kilgore College to pursue process technology,” he said. He worked hard in all of his classes and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science with a Petroleum Specialty. More importantly, his grades put him in a position to receive an internship at Eastman, where the company hired him full-time upon graduation. Wesley, who married his high school sweetheart, Marlie Holland in March, was thankful to have a job cinched up so quickly.
Mary Ann, 56, had started college, then stopped, several years ago before she and her husband adopted their three children. She was working as an elementary school paraprofessional when her job was cut.
“I didn’t think I could do college,” Mary Ann said. “I told my family, ‘I’m not good enough. I can’t remember anything. I’m too old.’ But my best friend, Valerie Cooper, was studying substance abuse, and she said, ‘I think you would be really good at this. I can help you,’ and she did.” Mary Ann finished with both an AAS degree in Substance Abuse Counseling, as well as an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. She graduated from KC with a 4.0 and was named “Most Outstanding Student in Substance Abuse Counseling” in May.
Wesley’s class time was spent primarily on-campus. As a partner institute with KC, Eastman is a main provider for the students’ lab experiences.
“The items they donated made a huge difference in learning the job and getting to know the equipment and what to do,” Wesley said. “Our teachers used to work at Eastman, so that played a big part in learning also.”
Conversely, Mary Ann’s classes were completely on-line. The most she came to the campus was to work in The Zone Tutoring Lab as a work-study.
“I mostly helped with organization, like teaching people how to use Blackboard, and helping them understand the assignments that the professors were giving,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t technologically savvy when I started here, that became something I learned I could help students with.”
The two were surprised when they realized their college careers were going to culminate together.
“It’s not something we planned; it really was a fluke,” Wesley said. “And I wasn’t going to walk, but she pulled me into it,” he added smiling.
Mary Ann’s course had a rigid structure because of how her classes were offered. But when she realized in January that she could take two more classes to finish another associate’s degree, she seized the opportunity. And the two made sure everyone who had supported them along the way would make it to the main event.
“We had 14 tickets to commencement between us, and we used all of them,” Mary Ann said.
Wesley was looking ahead to a career that would support a family in the future. “I knew I wanted to go into some sort of trade school, and originally I didn’t want to go to college at all. But this was a two-year degree that really fed into a great program,” he said. “When I saw all the different departments that make up Eastman, I knew I could find something that fit my interests.” His fiancé was also a source of encouragement, even showing up dressed as Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz” for Phi Theta Kappa’s Trunk-or-Treat so Wesley could receive extra credit in a class.
For Mary Ann, it was her family who had been watching her adventures for years who became her biggest fans.
“I have a very supportive family. They all live in Florida where I grew up. All along the way, they have backed me and encouraged me and told me I could do it. And my parents helped me in any way that they could. If I needed a book, they were there.”
Wesley is proud of the way he got to this point. Not only is his dad, Garren, also a West Rusk graduate; but they are both now KC alums who finished college 44 years apart. Wesley also encourages anyone who wants to be successful to, “definitely take dual credit classes when you can, and apply yourself. And get to know your professors.” One of Wesley’s few regrets during his college career is a single B he received because he neglected to take a final exam in a class. “I was on my honeymoon in Hawaii and I just forgot to log in. That was my fault.”
For Mary Ann, she is primed to keep going on the journey that may someday lead her to be a counselor. At KC, she interned at Community Healthcore. Now, she is the Regional Coordinator at “Bridges to Life,” a faith-based prison ministry.
“I really want people who are older, like myself, to realize things are different now. We were raised that college was one way — that you have to go to school and sit in a classroom, and that was the only way to learn,” she said. “But after I figured out how to take that one class online, then realized I could work and still take another class, that helped. It takes one class to get to the next class and then you’re at the end, getting your degree.”
Which led to the culmination of this proud mom moment – when Mary Ann walked out onto the stage first, because – well, alphabetical order – then took over for KC Board of Trustees president Josh Edmonson, and turned to hand Wesley his diploma as he followed behind her.
“Today is my special moment,” Mary Ann said. “Because Dr. Brenda Kays said I could give him his diploma.”
Article & photos by Rachel Stallard/KC