Sharon Mallory and her daughter, Lauren Mallory, both graduated at the same time from Liberty University in the United States, earning a doctorate degree.

Sharon Mallory received her Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in educational leadership, while Lauren Mallory received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Public Administration and Policy.

Their academic journey began in 2021, sparked by a playful conversation. Lauren had just decided to pursue her Ph.D. when Sharon, who had been retired for some time, made a light-hearted comment about joining her.

To her surprise, Lauren took it seriously and encouraged her mother to come along on the journey. “When she was starting, I made a joke, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it. And she was like, ‘Yeah, come on and do it with me for real, and we can do this together,” Sharon said.

Returning to school after many years was not an easy journey for Sharon. She admitted that there were moments she was not sure she could continue, especially as someone re-entering academia later in life.

But with the steady support of Lauren and even her teenage granddaughter, she found the strength to persevere.

“There were a couple of times I didn’t think I was going to make it. I am a woman of a certain age, and I hadn’t been in school in a minute. But [my daughter] was very encouraging and my granddaughter, too, helping to keep me on point,” Sharon said.

For Lauren, the Ph.D. had always been part of her plan. She had completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Government from North Carolina Central University in 2007, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in Economics and Finance from Virginia State University in 2009.

But the road to her doctorate took longer than expected. Life, career, and motherhood kept her busy, and she returned after 11 years to pursue advanced studies.

Lauren shared that the most difficult part was completing her dissertation. There were moments when quitting seemed like an option, but the thought of setting an example for her 15-year-old daughter kept her going.

“I wanted to give her a good example of what it means to keep pushing through something that you start, to not be a quitter,” Lauren said. “Just being able to say ‘I stuck with what I had planned for my life’ meant everything.”

Just like her daughter, this Ph.D. was Sharon’s third degree, and each had been earned while fulfilling her roles as a wife and mother. For her, this moment was more about pride in her daughter than in herself.

“They’ve seen me receive my bachelor’s, they’ve seen me receive my master’s—and they saw me receive my doctorate,” she said. “But I’m more proud of her than I am of myself, for making this accomplishment,” she added.