A proud son's tweet about his parents' accomplishment is getting a lot of attention for all the right reasons.
"My parents went back to college together, and they graduated today. Together," Charles L. Cole III wrote on social media with an image of Cole's parents in caps and gowns.
Cole's father, Charles L. Cole Jr., and his wife, Renaté, earned bachelor of arts degrees in biblical studies on Dec. 3 from Sacramento Theological Seminary.
The couple told ABC News that the road to success was a rocky one.
"Very young, we got addicted to crack cocaine," Renaté Cole told ABC.
The couple's addiction prevented them from pursuing higher education.
Now the couple, married for 38 years, have been sober for more than two decades. They raised three children together, including 33-year-old Charles L. Cole III. They said their son, who holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree and is working toward his doctorate, inspired them to earn their degrees.
"Our son is a go-getter," Charles L. Cole Jr. said. "By seeing his energy, his drive to just do it, that kind of pushes us."
He said he and his wife thought, "If he can do it, we can do it too."
The two, who are both on the ministerial staff at a local church, dream of one day starting their own church.
They plan to continue their education and eventually earn their doctorate degrees.
"We have a lot of schooling to complete," Renaté Cole told ABC. "We have a lot to do."
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