Father, Son and Daughter From Mississippi Graduate College Together With Teaching Degrees

Nationwide — Commondre Cole, a 45-year-old father from Meridian, Mississippi, has graduated from college at the same time as his daughter and his son. All of them simultaneously earned master’s degrees in education from Mississippi State University-Meridian.

Iesha Gully, who is a 27-year old second-grade inclusion teacher, was the first in the family to decide to pursue her master’s degree in the fall of 2020. The following semester, her brother Ja’Coby, who is a 25-years old physical education teacher at Oakland Heights Elementary, and Commondre, who works as a health teacher at Northwest Middle School, returned to school as well.

“Well, my mom [Jessica], she’s really like the push behind all of us,” Iesha told Fox 5.

The trio encouraged and relied on each other throughout their studies while also having fun with their little friendly competitions.

“We were taking like some of the same classes. So we were studying together, trying to get ready for mid-terms and final exams…so it was a blessing at the end of the day,” said Iesha.

“Family is everything. You always got to have someone watching your back, keep on you,” Ja’Coby added.

Most recently, they walked across the stage to receive their individual master’s degrees in education, which they said was a very special moment for them. Moreover, they hope to motivate other families to do great things together as well.