Valley Provides Peace for Michael Graduation Series

Mildred Michael said Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) became her safe haven after her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

The Leland, Miss. native pursued politics and government/pre-law and legal studies while at MVSU. She was enrolled in Mississippi College, but due to her mother’s life-threatening illness, Michael decided to withdraw from college and move closer to home. “I was devastated,” said Michael. “I had to decide whether or not I would continue my education or care for my mother. The decision was not very hard; I chose my mother.”

She spent countless hours and days taking care of her mother, but Michael also had a desire to continue her collegiate career. “I am the product of a single parent home. I knew if I was going to continue my degree, it was going to be hard, but I gave it a shot.”

Though Michael moved closer to home, she was still faced with the dilemma of transportation. “I do not have a car,” she added. “I was not really certain as to how I would get from Leland to campus every day, but I did not give up.”

After enrolling at MVSU, Michael discovered mass transit and took on multiple jobs on campus. “I knew that I would have to stay on campus in order to work and defray some of our household expenses. I am extremely grateful to mass transit, because they provided me with transportation to and from Leland on a regular basis.”

Michael said she is also grateful to her mother’s best friend, because she was willing to stay home with her mother on weekdays, so that she could work and care for her mother during the weekend.

She had it all figured out, she was working, had adequate transportation and involved in multiple organizations. “Last semester I worked three jobs on campus, while enrolled in 19 hours and still remained instrumental in my mother’s life,” said Michael.

Everything was going great until her mother was admitted into the hospital. “The last time my mother was admitted in the hospital was completely different from any other time,” added Michael. “When you go to the emergency room, you are required to wait for a long period of time, but during this particular instance, we did not have to wait at all. I knew immediately that something was seriously wrong.”

Michael’s mother spent most of her senior year in the hospital. “I tried to remain involved in various activities, so that I could keep my mind off of the situation at hand,” she said. “I struggled to balance my home life and school.”

“I had been trying my best to keep my sanity throughout all of the turmoil. Valley helped me to remain sane.”

On the day Michael was scheduled to take the LSAT, her mother was also scheduled to have major surgery.

“I was stuck with the choice of going three hours away to take a test or being by my mother’s side, once again, I chose to remain by my mother’s side,” said Michael.

Today, Michael’s mother is out of the hospital and recovering. She will be attending commencement exercises on Saturday.

Michael said she is extremely grateful to various entities at MVSU for making her life a little easier during her time of need.

“I can honestly say that I am not ready to leave,” said Michael. “While attending MVSU, I have had the pleasure of meeting a group of students who helped me to remain positive throughout my storm.”

Michael hopes to attain employment at MVSU, so that she can save money and prepare for law school.

Created By
Paisley Boston
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