![\"SPRING16realizing-a-dream\"](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/SPRING16realizing-a-dream.jpg\")
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More than three years have transpired since Georgia Southern<\/em> magazine first wrote about Greensboro Dreamers Jacayla Edwards and Kadijah Woods. If they continue to stay on their current paths, the two seniors will this year attain their college degrees \u2014 it\u2019s a goal they have been pursuing since they were in elementary school in Greensboro, Georgia.<\/p>\n \u201cI am just so happy to finally be this close to reaching the goal that I planned years ago,\u201d said Edwards, a biology major. \u201cI am so proud that I didn\u2019t give up on myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI always knew it would be tough, but for me nothing is ever impossible,\u201d added Woods, who also has maintained a 3.3 GPA at Georgia Southern. \u201cI wish more people would believe in themselves before giving up just because it\u2019s the social thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Fifteen years ago, both were students at Greensboro Elementary School when 56 first graders at the school were promised financial help for college or vocational school if they made it through high school. Their benefactors were Tom and Kathy Kelly, a retired couple living at Lake Oconee in Greene County, Georgia, who wanted to give back by helping educate the rural community\u2019s underprivileged children. They established the Greensboro Dreamers program, modeled after the \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d Foundation in New York City, which was launched in 1981 by philanthropist Eugene Lang.<\/p>\n Forty-four Greensboro Dreamers stayed in the program and graduated from high school, and Edwards and Woods chose to pursue their higher education at Georgia Southern. When Edwards, who plans to become a physician assistant, started college, she was your typical nervous freshman participating in the summer Eagle Incentive Program (EIP), which is designed for students to demonstrate their ability to succeed in college.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so afraid of college because I thought it was for geniuses, and I did not participate in anything that didn\u2019t have anything to do with homework or tests,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI ended EIP successfully with all A\u2019s and by the end, I realized that I should\u2019ve lightened up and enjoyed myself.\u201d<\/p>\n For Woods, leaving home and starting college \u201cwas a huge breath of fresh air.\u201d The psychology major said she arrived at Georgia Southern ready to take on the real world and live. \u201cImmediately, I knew that I had made one of the best decisions of my life,\u201d she said. \u201cLeaving the friends I had behind was not as rough as I originally thought. I knew I would have to open up, explore and of course, spend long nights in \u2018Club Hendy,\u2019 our library,\u201d she said, laughingly.<\/p>\n Both young women acknowledged that the Dreamers program boosted their drive to succeed. \u201cI think it changed the course of my life,\u201d said Woods. \u201cMy experiences in the program showed me how big you could really dream. Aside from the educational support, they made sure to show us adventure by exposing us to different things in the world. I am a small town country girl and they took us on field trips to Colorado, New York, Florida and so many other places. Sometimes I think out loud about how blessed I am to have the support of the Kellys and \u2018Miss Beth\u2019 (Beth Thomas is the Greensboro Dreamers project director). Now that I am an adult, I fully understand the amount of time, money and effort they put forward for us.\u201d<\/p>\n The two Dreamers remain in frequent contact with the Kellys and Thomas. \u201cI know that whenever I need them, they will be there right by my side,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt feels wonderful to have cheerleaders cheering me on. They are not only \u2018the Kellys\u2019 and \u2018Mrs. Thomas\u2019 to me \u2014 they are family, just like my grandparents and parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Greensboro Dreamers co-founder Tom Kelly acknowledged his pride in what Edwards and Woods have accomplished and continue to achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cBeth Thomas, my wife Kathy, and I consider Jacayla and Kadijah to be part of our family\u2026and we will always be there for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The two University students noted they also found a mentor in Georgia Southern Dean of Students Patrice Buckner Jackson, who has provided much-needed guidance and support. \u201cMeeting Dean Jackson was divine,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cShe took me under her wing my freshman year and has been here for me every step of the way from trying to branch out and getting involved my sophomore year, to the birth of my son, Gabriel, my senior year. I don\u2019t know what my experience would have been like here if it wasn\u2019t for God placing her in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Edwards and Woods are defying the odds and stereotypes of being young mothers, and are juggling school and the responsibilities that come with taking care of a child. Why are they determined to earn their college degrees? As they close in on that goal, both acknowledged that the advice of the people who told them they could accomplish anything continues to resonate with them.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I ever needed any motivation, my son brought all I ever needed into my life in just a short period of time,\u201d said Edwards who explained she didn\u2019t want to give up her dream of becoming a physician assistant. \u201cI evolved from a young innocent na\u00efve girl, to a young lady trying to branch out, and now to a woman working hard for the future of this family I have been blessed with.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods too, doesn\u2019t regret making the choice to be a student and a mother to daughter Autumn. \u201cMy path may not be what everyone had planned for me, but she is the best thing that could have happened to me. It is because of her that I am becoming the woman and student I always knew I could become. Failure is not an option when you have an innocent soul watching your every move.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods now dreams of working with children as she moves forward to a career. She is hoping to earn a master\u2019s degree, which will help her become a child psychologist. Both students are excited about their futures and said their experiences at Georgia Southern have opened their eyes to a world of possibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI am 10 times the woman I ever dreamed of becoming and I am only getting better,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cGeorgia Southern was the perfect place for me. I am very proud to be an Eagle.\u201d \u2014 Sandra Bennett<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nearly two decades after a generous promise, two Georgia Southern students nearing graduation reflect on the journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-2989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-spring-2016"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}