DUBLIN, Ga. — Kewaner Coleman is no stranger to hard times. She's also not a stranger to perseverance.
"I just wanted to make a promise to myself that I would, you know, I would finish with a degree."
Her journey to get a bachelor's degree started with that promise made many years ago. When she graduated high school as a single mom, she knew her priority was her family.
Her college dreams got put on the back burner, but as her kids got older, she kept returning to that dream she couldn't forget. She graduated with an AA degree, and life took a turn when things were looking up.
"2021 was rough. It was a rough time, and for both parents to be sick at the same time, I was like, wow."
Her mom was diagnosed with diabetes that year. Around the same time, her dad started showing signs of Parkinson's Disease. So she added one more hat to her head: caretaker. That was when her passion for helping the elderly was sparked.
Going to her parents' doctors' appointments made her realize the medical industry is tough to navigate- but even harder for the elderly because of the technology curve.
It was during COVID-19 that telehealth calls were becoming more popular, something she believed the elderly community could really use if they had someone to teach them how.
She also saw how hard it was for the elderly during the pandemic. While many kept up with their families through Facetime and Zoom, she knew that was a learning curve for many older people.
"So much is changing, and a lot of the community don't fit in. They feel lost, and I don't want them to feel lost. I want them to know they can be a part of it," she said.
That's when she switched her major at Mercer University to human services.
Mercer University has a program for college students who need flexibility with their degree options.
Steven DeGeorge is a professor at Mercer University who teaches those classes, and he said there are excellent options for non-traditional adults.
"I've taught night classes and online courses. They, they just sort of make a way," he said.
DeGeorge also oversees Coleman's internship for college credit at Campus Clubs Inc., a faith-centered non-profit that has after-school programs for children.
"She just fit right in here, and you can tell that helping in general is really her passion," he said.
Coleman plans to graduate early at the end of this year, making good on that promise to herself from years ago.
She can't wait to put her degree to good use, and feels like God's put a new dream on her heart.
"Own your own business, teaching technology to adults who want to know it. Teaching them not to be afraid of it," Coleman said.
Coleman said she loved her internship so much, she'll stay there as a teacher through the rest of the school year to keep teaching children.