Inspirational graduation photos of a single mom with her five children have gone viral on social media. Iesha Champs, who will graduate from law school in May, says she owes her success to her children.
Iesha Champs, now 33, dreamed of becoming a lawyer since she was seven. However, many things got in the way, she almost gave up on achieving her goals.
“I really didn’t have a stable lead at that point. My mother was a drug addict. My father passed away. And I was homeless, ”Champs told CBS News. “I lived with friends or whoever took me in. Then I got pregnant with the first of my five children and it just went on from there.”
In the midst of all of this, Champs said she even thought of committing suicide. She was grateful to the pastor who had practically saved her life with a simple message.
“Pastor Louise Holman called me one day and said that God told her to go back to school and get my GED because this lawyer I wanted to be, it will be me!” Champs remembered. “I thought it was a little crazy because I was too old and had three kids with my fourth child.”
Champs re-enrolled in school and eventually earned her GED from Houston Community College. She then attended the Houston Community College and then the University of Houston-Downtown for her bachelor’s degree. She will graduate from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law next May.
In any case, raising five children and studying law at the same time is not an easy task. But with the help of her children, she became successful in both.
“You would help me check with index cards while cooking. They sat as a mock jury while I taught them what I had learned that day, ”said Champs. “I sat in my closet praying and crying because I was overwhelmed and my eldest son David would gather his siblings, give them a snack, let them take a bath, gather their school clothes, all to make it easier for me. And I didn’t know he did that until I did! “
Champs commissioned a series of photos to commemorate the achievement. “I took the pictures with my children because they helped me through school. They’re graduating too! ” She said.
In the photos she was holding a board with the words: “I did it!” written on it. Her children stand behind her with blackboards and say: “We made it!” “I helped too!” “Me too!”
The photo immediately caught the attention of internet users and has already received thousands of likes and comments on social media.
“When I look at the pictures, I cry, smile and feel very grateful,” said Champs. “I see a woman who once knew the odds were against her. Looking at this picture reminds me that not only have I resisted adversity, but that myself and my children have destroyed them. “
This article was originally published by BlackNews.com