MACON, Ga. — A Macon mom wanted more for her daughter but decided to lead by example instead of words. Something she's now grateful for now because she's celebrating double the accolades.
After over 12 years of working with the department for corrections, Nicky Evans knew she was moving through life, leaving stones unturned.
"At the same time, I had not achieved my goals," says Evans.
She realized that after motivating her daughter to transfer from public school to a private religious school, she wanted her to be closer to a higher power.
"One of the pacts that we made is if she goes into the transition with an open mind, then I would go through the transition with her," says Evans.
Something her daughter A'lea Williams was hesitant about at first.
"I had to leave my family, I had to leave my friends, and (at the time) I was going to high school, and there were people I wanted to spend my high school years with," says Williams.
Her mom embarking on her college undergrad journey at Mercer University while A'lea attended Tattnall Square Academy made all the difference.
"I knew that if I was going to support her and push her to achieve her goals, I had to do the same thing. I had to lead by example," says Evans.
Nicky completed her undergrad while A'lea was a sophomore in high school.
She wanted to celebrate graduating the same year as her daughter, so she decided to pursue another degree.
"I'm going to go ahead and get my master's degree, and we'll graduate together in 2023," says Evans.
Through tough classes, A'lea's basketball games, her back surgery and even Nicky having to have her daughter tag along. They both did it.
Nicky's undergrad and master's degrees, and her daughter is graduating from high school. They are finishing together with three diplomas between the two of them.