Tera Roberson
STAFF WRITER
The idea of mothers and daughters cooking together is commonplace. Even the idea of mothers and daughters singing together is not far-fetched.
But a mother and daughter graduating from college together is almost unheard of.
For Keva Westbrook and Diane Taylor, mother and daughter, the excitement and anticipation of graduation is two times as sweet because they are doing it together.
Taylor, a 48-year-old "non-traditional" and her daughter Westbrook, 28, will receive their B.A. degrees together on May 15 at commencement.
"We figured out a couple of semesters ago that this might work, and so when it got down to it we said 'Let's do all we can to make it special,' and it worked itself out perfectly."
"I'm really proud of her, and I'm really proud of me, and it's been along time coming. We hadn't planned to graduate together, it just happened," said Taylor.
Westbrook says that her mother's dedication and determination has inspired her along the way.
"It's really incredible to me that my mom has worked so hard and dedicated herself so much to go to night school for so long, said Westbrook. "And she has really always stuck through it and no matter if other things are going on. She really made a commitment to school."
Taylor and her daughter would have been walking in line together up until a few years ago, but after Taylor's remarriage, that all changed.
The two students said that they started thinking and planning of a way that they could walk together across the stage, and then contacted Kathy Smathers, executive secretary in the College of Humanities, Fine Arts and Communication, to find out if she could help them.
From there Smathers contacted Lawrence Curry, associate dean of HFAC, about the matter.
Curry said that after speaking with the chairman of the English department, they found no problem in granting the students' wish to walk across the stage together.
"This doesn't happen often, and we are willing to accommodate when it does. We were happy to do it," said Curry "It's not going to be disruptive to anything. The reason we found no problem in doing this is because the whole ceremony is for the benefit of the students and their families."
Taylor's mother, Judy Levy, said that the excitement is almost overwhelming. A native of Orlando, Fla., Levy is coming to Houston on May 14 to attend the commencement ceremony of her daughter and granddaughter.
"I am just about to jump out of my skin. I'm so proud of those two girls. They have a right to be proud (also)."