Gary mom's plan is to provide the best life for her son through her education

Purdue University Calumet student Valencia Gibson of Gary answers financial aid questions.

Valencia Gibson was determined to make a better life for her son. That meant returning to college and earning her baccalaureate degree in communication—which she received May 22 during Purdue University Calumet's Commencement Exercises at the Radisson Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.

The 25-year-old Gary resident quit school when her 3-year-old son, Gevon, was born, but retuned after taking the spring and summer sessions off.

"At first I didn't want to come back to school," she said, "but I want to be able to give him a good surrounding in which to grow up."

According to Gibson, after her father left, her mother alone raised her and her older brother.

"She didn't want us in daycare," Gibson said. "She was a stay-at-home mom, so we were at the mercy of other people in ways like taking us places. We didn't have a car."

Now, Gibson's mother helps out by watching her son.

Said Gibson about her mother, "She said she didn't want anything to stop me from finishing my degree. And, she teaches Gevon. He knows his ABCs, colors and he can count."

Gibson also worked part-time in Purdue Calumet's Office of Financial Aid as a Federal Work Study student.

According to Christine Strug, Purdue Calumet assistant director of financial aid and Gibson's supervisor, Gibson has done what she thinks is best for her and her son.

"She was raised in a single parent household and decided that for her and her son to have a chance in life, she would need to return to school and get her degree," Strug said. "After facing the many challenges that come with being a mother, working part time and going to school full time, this month she graduates. Her dream has always been to become independent and self-sufficient."

Gibson said she has enjoyed her classes and her work at Purdue Calumet.

"I'm going to miss Purdue (Calumet). The people I worked with in financial aid were not just co-workers, but friends.

"My best instructor was Tom Roach. He opened my eyes to so many things you can do with a communication degree."

Gibson plans to pursue a master's degree in sociology.