Friday, May 6, 2016
PRINCESS ANNE, MD– (May 6, 2016) – Mother’s Day 2016 will be a special time for Deborah Williams, an administrative assistant with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s counseling center.
She is looking forward to seeing her daughter, Erica, receive her master’s in rehabilitation counseling from UMES. She also may have to look back over her shoulder.
Deborah and Erica Williams will sit next to each other at the university’s May 20 commencement exercises; Deborah is also a master’s degree candidate in rehabilitation counseling.
Mom will cross the stage first, fitting for the Brooklyn, N.Y. native who put going to college on hold while Erica and her younger brother pursued an education.
The irony is not lost on both women.
“I’m extremely proud of my mother,” Erica said. “She and my father sacrificed so much for my brother and me.”
“She worked very hard,” Erica said. “She didn’t give up on her passion. She went for her goal.”
Deborah is approaching graduation day with “mixed emotions.”
“This is another accomplishment my daughter has fulfilled,” Deborah said. “She’s going in a good direction, and to have experienced this with her has been amazing.”
“It’s been a real joy,” mom said.
Deborah waited for her children to finish their undergraduate studies before starting her own journey as a college student. She earned her undergraduate degree in business administration from UMES in 2013 and transitioned immediately into the master’s program in rehabilitation counseling.
“I see the need that students need help,” said Deborah who became a UMES employee in 2003. “They need coping skills. I’ve found myself talking and listening to a lot of young people. This (master’s degree) was a natural fit for me.”
Like her mother, Erica is also a UMES employee who juggled the responsibilities of full-time work with pursuit of a master’s degree.
A 2009 Morgan State University graduate, Erica is an admissions counselor who entered the UMES master’s program a year before her mother. Her job requires a lot of travel doing in-person recruiting, so the two women initially were on a different pace to graduate.
Several factors spurred Erica to finish with a flourish; her mother’s determination and selflessness, and the novelty of graduating together.
This semester, Erica completed a grueling 600-hour requirement of internship work that others typically spread out over multiple semesters.
“I just told myself to be focused, be determined,” Erica said. “It’ll be a strong finish.”
“She did a fantastic job,” Deborah said. “I’m in awe.”
Erica said the notion of sharing a graduation memory “would be special. Not many people can say they earned the same degree as their mother at the same time.”
They found themselves on occasion taking the same class, but played the relationship low key.
“We didn’t always sit together,” Erica said, “on purpose.”
Some professors knew they were mother and daughter, while others eventually figured it out.
“We didn’t want to make a big deal about it” on campus, Deborah said.
Away from class, Erica acknowledges they motivated each other when assessed on their performance.
“Oh, we were definitely competitive,” Erica said.
Deborah, in fact, calls herself “a motivator.”
“If I pushed hard, she would push hard. And she did,” Deborah said.
Both women agree that who finished with the better grades is a closely held family matter.
Deborah and her husband, Eric, an Information Technology troubleshooter at UMES, “tried to instill in (their) children education is important.”
“It’s the key to confidence, learning to depend on themselves and taking care of themselves,” Deborah said.
Deborah and Erica usually work the Hytche Athletic Center on graduation day when many UMES staffers are on duty for the big event. Not this year.
“Thank goodness we have the day off,” Deborah said.
May 20, 2016 – Mother’s Day 2.0 in the Williams’ household.
#HawkPride
UMES Office of Public Relations, (410) 651-6669
