LaKe'Sha R. Bowen, '10: A Better Life for Her Son
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An unbeatable mother and son team. (Photo Mark Schmidt) |
When LaKe�Sha R. Bowen of Albany crosses the stage at UAlbany�s commencement on May 16, her 10-year-old son Chyim will be watching. And that�s exactly the idea.
"Education is the key to spiritual, financial, and personal success,� said Ms. Bowen, a non-traditional EOP transfer student with a 3.77 GPA whose work was mentioned in Distinguished Teaching Professor Warren Roberts� Times Union blog. Roberts credits his student with having �insatiable curiosity� for learning.
Bowen, a single mother, is graduating with a bachelor�s degree in world history with a concentration in East Asian studies.
What experience has meant the most to her at UAlbany?
�The two that stand out in my heart and mind the most are being a student of Dr. Warren Roberts and becoming a part of the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) family,� Bowen said.
She has taken three classes from Roberts, most recently Art, Music and History II. �I absolutely admire his teaching style which is always seasoned with a mixture of love for humanity, passion for what he is teaching, and a heartfelt kindness that can�t be put into words. He saw my hidden potential even when I could not,� she said.
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LaKe'Sha Bowen teaches her son Chyim that education is the key to success. (Photo Mark Schmidt) |
In his March 9 post, Roberts praised Bowen for a paper she submitted, saying he hasn�t seen anything like it in 47 years of teaching. He said she sits in the front of the class and is always alert, �tuned in all the way.� Chyim has accompanied his mother to class on occasion.
In the EOP, counselor Patrick Romain �has been very inspirational,� always pushing her to be the best she can be. Romain and the EOP office �provide a safe haven where students from diverse backgrounds can feel welcome and feel free to express themselves.�
�A wise woman once said, �My family has always been rich, we just never had any money.� My sentiments exactly,� said Bowen. �Poverty has been my family�s frequent companion yet my family is rich with blessings from Jehovah God.� In addition to love and faith, �knowledge is the only gift that I can give my son which can never be stolen and will enrich his life by strengthening his mind.�
Bowen�s long-term goal is to earn a master�s degree from UAlbany and become a history teacher.
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