Tasha Oliver wasn’t cheering her daughter on from the stands during her college graduation. She was right beside her, because the mom was walking across the stage to grab her bachelor’s degree, too.
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Oliver, who had her child Cierra Patterson at age 19, began her career with her husband in the U.S. Army.
Dissatisfied with her cooking job, she decided to trade in her apron for scrubs to pursue a profession in the medical field.
“When I came out of the military, I realized that wasn’t the career I wanted to be in,” Oliver said. “I realized that if I could take care of my children, I could take care of people.”
So she enrolled into Clayton State University to become a registered nurse. By the time she had entered college and beat breast cancer twice, it was time for her daughter to enter undergrad.
But it took a few months for Patterson to finally take school seriously. Once she did, she and her mother started taking classes and studying together as healthcare management majors.
“I think it has definitely bonded us and made us stronger,” Oliver said.
Although unplanned, the two graduated at the same time in May.
“It was totally an accident. We didn’t plan it at all,” Oliver admitted.
The two finished school together, but they are taking different paths now.
Oliver hopes to earn her master’s degree in healthcare management and envision, and Patterson wants to apply for nursing school.
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