Adal Bell, 53, and her son Antonio Bell, 27, will get to do something on May 5 that most mothers and sons don’t do —graduate together.
Antonino and Adal will both be participating in the May 5, 2017, graduation ceremony at SU. Antonio is receiving his master’s degree in business administration, and Adal is receiving a bachelor’s degree in human services. The two say the accomplishments is something they’ve worked hard for and anticipate.
Both Adal and Antonio are currently full-time, online students. They both found the online classes to fit perfectly around their schedules, which pushed them to stay on top of their work. Though they’ve been students together, they chose different degree paths to suit their callings.
“The reason I chose MBA was because I want to graduate with a degree that could lead to quick employment. The demands for business graduates are high,” Antonio said.
Adal had originally enrolled in classes for social work when she was younger, but she delayed her education so that she could raise her son.
After Antonio started college courses and began his bachelor’s degree, Adal said God told her that it was time for her to return to school and finish what she had started years earlier. She enrolled in the Georgia Military School online program and received her associate degree in social work in 2014. That same year Antonio graduated from Georgia Southern University with a general education degree and began work right away.
Not long after, both Antonio and Adal decided they wanted more education and needed to secure their future.
Adal started looking for programs, and with her advisor’s help, she came across Shorter University.
After reviewing what Shorter had to offer, Adal knew she found the Christian values, professors and classes she had been looking for.
Shorter’s human services degree caught her attention, and it was the perfect fit for her interests.
Adal thought the option to study online would work best for Antonio as well.
Though Antonio started school one year prior to his mother, they will still graduate and walk together.
With Adal’s degree, she hopes to run her own transitional house to help those in need. She feels God has called her to do this work, and she will most likely pursue her master’s in social work/human services.
The Bells believe they can achieve anything when they work together.
Their family has completely supported each other every step of the way.
“I do believe that attending the same college together has indeed brought us closer together. When classes got a little intense, we could draw support from one another by saying hang on in there, you can do it, it will pay off in the end,” Adal said.
Antonio is Adal’s only child and she is honored to share this experience of walking with him at graduation. The May 5 graduation will be the Bells’ first time being near Shorter’s campus.
“It has been a challenging but fun experience for us. The classes and professors are amazing and we both love Shorter,” Adal said.
Erica Ray
Staff Writer
erica.ray@hawks.shorter.edu
