A 68-year-old woman named Patricia Reeves has bagged a Sociology degree from Simmons College of Kentucky and was awarded the best-graduating student of her set.
Patricia obtained her bacheors degree in Sociology at Simmons College of Kentucky, Louisville an HBCU in the United States. Her excellent performance earned her the university’s 2023 valedictorian.
She stated that her graduation is a historic one for her family because she grew up in a family that did not embrace diversity and was amid segregation.
“The year I was born, my parents with their two children, moved to a city where there were no people of color and that was intentional. Everything was segregated,” Patricia said.
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“Nobody of color could buy a home or rent and live in that city overnight. So, I never grew up with any people of color,” she added. As a child, Patricia said she questioned her upbringing, but her mother told her she would not understand.
However, years later, a social justice program transformed her life, providing her with an education and a platform for change she did not expect.
Patricia said at the end of those programs, they were challenged to do something and some more tasks with whatever they had learned. She added that the challenge prompted her to go back to school.
Patricia said since she already had an associate’s degree, she decided to enroll for a bachelor’s degree at a Historically Black College and University. She applied to Louisville’s only HBCU, Simmons College of Kentucky with doubts that it was only for blacks.
She said getting there, the administrators told her that everyone was welcome there. She added that the three years she spent at the university was more than educational.
Patricia stated that as she walked across the stage to receive her degree, she was glad that it was not just her classmates cheering but her sister, who shared a similar upbringing.
Patricia said that despite a childhood marked by segregation, she is glad to hold a degree from a school founded by former slaves. She said she plans to further her education and empower others.
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