An Augusta, Ga. mother and son have defied the odds and graduated with their PhDs.

Dr. Vickie McBride was just 13 when she gave birth to her son Maurice, but she became more than a statistic when she walked across the stage with him at Capella University in August. 

From WRDW:

 She said, “It was shunned upon and of course the older people in the community were whispering.” But that didn’t stop her or her mother. Vickie stayed in school while her mother, a retired teacher, helped out with Maurice. She made it to college and graduate school all while raising Maurice and eventually 3 other children. Maurice had his own struggles. At just 16 years old he dropped out of high school. After ending up in a juvenile probation facility he knew it was time to turn his life around. He said, “I picked up the bible and I started reading and I was like it all makes sense. I see how it actually comes to fruition. I see how I ended up here.”

Read more at WRDW

Maurice got his GED and pursued a music career, never stopping his education. After he finished graduate school,  he called his mom and asked her if she wanted to get her PhD with him.

He graduated with his PhD in Organizational Management and Vickie in PhD in K-12 education.

“I didn’t let my situation define who I was. I defined my situation. I looked at my situation and I told situation this is where we are going and this is what we are doing,” said Vickie.

Amazing. A joyful moment for mother and son.

Congrats of both Dr. Maurice McBride and Dr. Vickie McBride on their achievements!

Thoughts on their success?

Sound off below!