By Denise W., December 17, 2020 — Well, my son graduated from high school. He was always a straight-A student. He excelled in science and math, so when he graduated, he was accepted to Drexel University, St. Joseph’s University, and I wanted him to apply to the University of Pennsylvania. He did not want to apply to the University of Pennsylvania so I didn’t force him. His education has always been (for all my children) very important to me. In fact, I wanted my son to go to St. Joe’s Prep, which is a very good prep school. But he said, “No, I don’t want to go there. I would rather just go to Catholic High School,” so that’s where he went. Okay, let’s fast forward.
Drexel received the Presidential Scholarship, which was good, but yet the tuition for Drexel I think was about a quarter of a million dollars. That’s a lot of money because I think that’s a five-year program. At St. Joe’s there was a four-year program for a B.S. or a B.A. degree and of course, he did not apply to the University of Pennsylvania. So, he had to choose between Drexel and St. Joe’s. My husband at the time decided that he would just take on another job to afford him the opportunity to go to Drexel. I was pretty sad at that time because I had saved some money and I had worked hard, we both worked hard, but yet I realized that I did not save nearly enough money for college. My dilemma was that he studied so hard, he worked hard, and he deserved the education of his choice. I felt so bad. I’ve never felt so bad in my life.
I went to my faith place and I mercifully asked God, “God, please. Not for me, but would you please grant some help for my son.” So I said to the God of my faith that I would fast for about 3 days and I would pray. I would pray and fast even though I had to go to work at that time. I stayed away from my coworkers and I prayed and fast. Now, when I came home, it was four o’clock. The reason that I know it was four [was] because my husband and I worked at the same job. We got off at 4 o’clock, and we would always go home together, so it was definitely 4 o’clock. We received a phone call, and it was from the director of St. Joe’s University, and she said, “Your son has a full scholarship.” I said, “Unbelievable.” I screamed so loud and I think that God of my understanding has a sense of humor. This was only after two days of fasting and intense prayer. I said to God, “Look, I’ll stay on the fast for another day.” But I am so grateful. I am so humble that he did graduate from St. Joe’s and he has a very good job now.
One part of my story that I didn’t mention and I want to backtrack — it’s a real important part of the story. As he was graduating, my mother, his grandmother, was suffering from lung cancer. What I didn’t realize [was] she was at stage four. But she insisted on being at the graduation at St. Joe’s. So I arrived at St. Joe’s very early because what I wanted to guarantee was that we had very good seats, particularly for my mother, who needed to be near a bathroom perhaps [because] she was walking with a cane [and] she was extremely weak. We tried to help her by holding on to each of her arms, but she kind of shoved us away like “I have this!” So she walked and I found what I thought was the perfect seat for her. She sat with my daughter. The parents were told to sit in the front part of the arena. This was a huge graduation. [I thought], “Oh God. I’m so glad that I found the perfect seat for my mother.” My son was graduating on the left side, so I made sure that her seat was on the left. I made sure her seat was in the front so that she could see. But unfortunately, the graduation was so long and so tedious that she did not actually see my son when he walked up the aisle because there were so many graduates. I, his parents, did not see him graduate because even though they sat a special spot for the parents, it just was not configured right, you know? But we’re grateful to be there.
And the last part of the story, which will almost make me cry … was [that] I have a cousin. My cousin, he’s about my age, [he’s] about four years younger; a college graduate, [he] did good and came from a very fine family, but unfortunately got hooked on drugs. He called me up after the graduation. He said, “Denise, I know that I would not have been invited to this graduation, but I found out the time of St. Joe’s graduation and I want you to know that I was there in spirit. I walked along the pavement, I walked along City Avenue so I was really part of the graduation.” And that of course brought tears to my eyes because you know, because of his lifestyle was so unstable, I would have still invited him to the graduation. Even though there are people in my family that would have frowned upon it. But it was his graduation, I held the tickets. But I didn’t invite him because I didn’t probably know where to reach him at that point. But that to me was heart-wrenching.
And afterwards, we all went out to dinner and it was wonderful. My mother ate, and I remember talking a lot. So my mother-in-law said, “Oh, your mother’s not talking because she’s eating!” This was probably a good thing because, with the latter stages of lung cancer, she ate very, very little.
So I’m grateful to God. That’s one thing — I’m not putting any other body any other fair down or promoting mine, but for me, I was so thankful to God that my mother, first of all, made it to the graduation before she died. She died that October, so that was only a few months after May. Almost 6 months. So she was able to see her grandson graduate. It’s just a story to me of gratitude because I was just so ill-prepared for college. Sure, we had some money saved up, we were prepared to take out some loans, but nothing hits you to Drexel’s tuition. Of course, I wanted the best for my son, we wanted the best for him, and we were willing to make all kinds of sacrifices. But my story is the story of gratitude and glory to the God that I believe in because he came through when to me that was impossible that St. Joe’s offered him a full scholarship. Of course, I said, “Well of course you should go to St. Joe’s because then we don’t have to figure out extra jobs, maybe re-mortgaging the house, etc. to come up with the astronomical amount that Drexel wants.” But anyway, he graduated from St. Joe’s. My mother was there, my cousin who was there, and my family was there, and then we went out to a wonderful dinner. I’m just so appreciative and thankful that he made it, graduated, and has a very good job today.