Ieshia Champs would have made it against all odds when she graduates Magna Cum Laude from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law on May 11. Champs captured the attention of many with her beautiful graduation photos featuring her 5 children ages 5 through 14. Her squad proudly proclaimed they had a hand in helping their mother succeed.
Champs didn’t have an easy life. According to Yahoo, the single mother grew up moving from group homes and foster care before having her first child at 19. In 2009, she lost everything in a home fire, the father of two of her children lost his battle to cancer and she lost her job. With the help of her sister, her school that allowed her to bring the children to classes, her church and of course her children who quizzed her with flashcards during dinner, Champs made it through. Most of all, she credits her faith in God. Champs told USA Today, “If God can take a little girl like me who had nothing and put me in a position to where I’m graduating from a wonderful law school in the top 15% of my class Magna Cum Laude with five children, he can do anything for you.”
