From GED to PhD: A Journey Fueled by Grit, Purpose, and the Power of Education

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From the time I was nine years old, I knew I wanted to teach. But there was one problem: I was poor—painfully so—and believed the lie that college was only for the privileged and the brilliant. No one in my family had gone to college. In fact, most hadn’t even finished high school. I grew up in a world where education was neither valued nor encouraged.

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Without mentors and burdened by the belief that I was both too poor and too unintelligent to succeed, I began to settle for the life I thought I deserved. Lacking access to a formal education through no fault of my own, I earned my GED just so I could get a job and survive. To my surprise, I scored well. It was the first time I felt a flicker of confidence—small, but powerful enough to light a path forward.

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With newfound determination, my GED in hand, and a willingness to take on student loan debt, I applied to a community college and was accepted. A few years later, armed with only an associate’s degree and a heart full of hope, I made the bold decision to homeschool my two young children. At the same time, I continued my own education, eventually earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. With each new academic milestone, my passion for teaching grew deeper, and so did my confidence.

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I didn’t stop at teaching my own children—I began teaching their friends, and then their friend's firends,  all while homeschooling full-time. Then came the moment that changed everything: my son, whom I had taught since the second grade, tested into college at just 15 years old. My daughter, four years younger and also homeschooled from the start, followed suit by entering college at 14.

It was then that I fully realized my gift for teaching and my passion for transforming lives through education. No longer homeschooling, as my children were now thriving in college, I turned my calling into a business: The Nurturing Tutor.

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Today, both of my children are pursuing their master’s degrees. I’m working toward my doctorate in education—the ultimate personal goal. My son, Sean, is now a tutor within our company, and together we are committed to growing The Nurturing Tutor into a force for good—empowering and transforming students, one life at a time.