Skip to content

Congratulations To A Special Graduate

About two weeks ago, December 16, 2023 was a special day for my son and the entire family on a whole.

My daughter and I traveled to Melbourne, Florida to rejoice with my son as he graduated from Florida Institute of Technology.

It was a long journey with a few bumps and potholes on the way but with the favor and mercy of God, he made it.

In 2020, during the peak of the COVID pandemic, my son said to me that he would like to attend college.

My son wanted to study Aeronautical Science at Embry Riddle. After checking out this college I realized that the cost was way above my pocket.

As you might have guess by now, I am a single mom. Furthermore, my daughter was still enrolled in College at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Therefore, I told my son to check out another cheaper school. He did some research and found Florida Institute of Technology.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Once again when I checked the tuition for this college, although it was cheaper than Embry Riddle, it was still way above my pocket.

I told my son that I cannot afford to send him to college. Of course he was very disappointed.

However, that night while praying, I felt strongly in my spirit that the Lord was rebuking me for denying my son a college education.

The Lord told me that I could not afford to send my son to college but He could afford it because He promised to be a Father to the fatherless.

So I decided to research a school in the Caribbean. I discovered a university in Puerto Rico and told my son to apply to it and also to Florida Institute of Technology.

The application process for the latter school was long and tedious and he almost gave up but I told him to press on.

Lake view at Florida Tech.

After a couple weeks, both schools sent my son acceptance letters. I wanted him to accept the school in Puerto Rico because it was cheaper and within my budget.

However, my son was not keen on attending the school in Puerto Rico because he felt that learning a second language would be stressful and he preferred to study in the USA mainland.

I believe that God made the decision for us because Florida Tech was very organized with excellent communication while the school in Puerto Rico was very disorganized with poor communication.

Therefore, we decided to pursue Florida Tech. But there was one big problem.

The tuition and other school fees totaled approximately US $58,000 per annum. Where will I get this money?

My only solution to conquer this giant was prayer. I reached out to my church family and members of this blogging community to pray with me.

I, therefore, want to express my sincere thanks to everyone for your prayers.

Photo by George Dolgikh on Pexels.com

I want to make special mention of Dawn of Drawing Closer to Christ who personally reached out to me via email to encourage and pray with me. She even sent me links to agencies where my son could apply for scholarship.

Thank you, Dawn. Please visit her blog. She is is a powerful woman of God and you will be encouraged and motivated by her inspirational devotions. I personally look forward to her devotions each week.

However, my son was not eligible for a US scholarships because he is not a US citizen. He was also not eligible for a local scholarship in the BVI, where we reside, because he is not a citizen of the BVI.

The situation seemed impossible.

But, I continued to pray!

But God…

The Answer to our Prayers

The Lord promised to supply all our needs and once more He came through for us.

The following is a break down of how God provided the tuition for the entire three years that my son was in college.

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT)

Florida Tech told my son that they would give him a scholarship of $10,000 per year if he could send proof that he was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa – International College Honor Society at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College where he completed his Associate Degree in Information Technology.

However, my son did not collect the certificate after his graduation about two years ago so we presumed it was lost.

But, we decided to visit the Community College hoping that they would have a copy. We went inside the main office and spoke to a lady who was sitting at a desk.

Immediately, the lady picked up a paper from her desk and handed it to my son. It was the honor certificate!

She did not search for the certificate. It was as if she was expecting us. This could only be the hands of God at work.

We quickly emailed the honor certificate to Florida Tech and they immediately awarded my son the $10,000 scholarship.

My son had received a private scholarship to attend the local college in the BVI to complete the Associate Degree in Information Technology. He learned that He could apply for another scholarship from this foundation to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree.

After sending many emails to the person in charge of this scholarship, he was finally accepted a few weeks before the tuition was due.

The private scholarship awarded my son $24, 000 per annum for the duration of the course.

What a miracle! Thank you Lord!

He now has a total of $34,000 in scholarships with a balance of $24,000 per year.

My son was partially on his way to college.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Pexels.com (Not a picture of my son)

Even though the balance of $24,000 was significantly less, I still could not afford it but I decided to pushed forward.

The Lord granted us favor in the middle of the COVID pandemic.

As a result of the pandemic, the first year at school was done remotely.

The fees decreased for the two semesters so my balance was significantly less and I was able to get a small bank loan to cover my portion of the first semester.

However, the enemy always seek ways to to hinder the plan of God in your life. He decided to attack.

My son became severely ill and was unable to complete his final exams in the first semester.

I reached out to you, my friends, on this powerful blogging community and also my church family for prayers.

You prayed for my son. A special thanks to each and everyone of you who prayed for us during those turbulent times.

After two months in the hospital, my son recovered. He was able to complete the final exams for the first semester but he missed the second semester at school.

However, he was able to complete two subjects during the summer with the private scholarship that was deferred when he was ill during the semester that he missed.

The following fall semester of 2021, the school was reopened for “in person” classes.

I was now faced with my portion of $24,000 for the year. My house in Jamaica was on the market for about one year and it finally came through at the exact time when I needed the money.

The proceeds from the sale covered one full year at college and miscellaneous expenses to settle him in the dorm.

In the school year, 2022-2023, I was faced with another school fee of $24,000.

I must mentioned that the total school fees include health insurance, boarding in the school dorm, food from the cafeteria, and tuition.

My solution to this dilemma was to setup a GoFundMe, but the Lord had a better solution.

He told me to search for a second job.

During and after the COVID pandemic, the income from my job decreased drastically and so I was forced to search for a part time job.

Once again, the Lord provided and I was able to pay my portion of the fees on a monthly basis through the school’s payment plan. What a mighty God we serve!

Thank you, Lord!

Completion

Finally, thanks be to God, Jadon has completed the Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Science with a minor in Aviation Management – Magna Cum Laude.

My daughter, Jadon and myself at Florida Tech

All I can say is that it was by the grace and favor of God.

The graduation ceremony was awesome. It rained heavily for the entire day but I considered the rain supernatural blessings from God.

I am confident that God will finish the great plan that He started in your life.

He will strengthen and preserve you until the end because He is more than capable of providing for your needs.

The Speaker at Jadon’s graduation ceremony summed up his journey to graduation in one powerful statement:

“A setback is a setup for a comeback!”

As the meaning of your name indicate – “You are a praise to God and a miracle from God.”

Help me praise and thank God for His love and mercy to all of us.

Praise the Lord!

55 Comments »

  1. What wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God! He loves to provide above and beyond our natural resources. He makes a way, where it looks like there is no way. Philippians 4:19 AMP
    “And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

    Jaden is sure to complete his dreams!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, Linda. I dont consider myself the best mother but we all have an excellent Father who cares for His children. To God be the glory. Have a blessed weekend and I hope you had a great holiday.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Wow Beverly, what a wonderful testimony to God’s faithfulness to us, and thank you for being such a good example of being faithful to God and your family. I was so blessed reading your story and had no idea of even the tiniest bit of this happening. May God bless you and your son, and may He use your both in ways far beyond anything you could have ever imagined.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. I will definitely share with my son. This blogging communication has been a blessing to me and my family. Have a great weekend.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. God is truly AMAZING, He is a true provider of ALL our needs. As I have continuously witnessed this over and over again, in my life and the beautiful testimonies of others. A true example of God’s love, grace, and mercy for us, aligned with perseverance, determination, and FAITH ā¤ CONGRATULATIONS JADON, may the Lord continue to guide your steps, šŸ’•

    Liked by 1 person

  4. How wonderful and what a great testimony of God’s faithfulness and how His goodness and providence were shown to you. Ask and you will receive. You were faithful in your prayers and they were answered. You trusted and were obedient to God’s leading. I had not realised how expensive college in America was. I thought university fees here in the UK were high but they are nothing like as high as those. God wanted the best for your son indeed.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Congrats Jadon, and Congrats to You as well Beverleyā€¼ļø What a Journey…but God!! When God gives the vision, He will fund it. I love your story and I love that you just pressed, with the Holy Spirit leading y’all…all the way to the finished line!! Blessings, Blessings, and More😘

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Wow! Congratulations to Jadon! I’m sorry that I am behind on your post and just seeing this. It was a blessing to read about how God provided throughout the process. And it was inspiring to see how you all persevered through the challenges. I love the pictures and I feel thankful to be able to be part of the journey through prayer. Thanks for including me. I’m continuing to pray for you, Jadon and your daughter. With God all things are possible. Your post is a testimony that reminds us He hears every prayer. Love and hugs 🄰

    Liked by 1 person

    • I am so glad the post was a blessing to you. I did not realize that you missed it. No worries. Sometimes I am behind on my blog. Life and all its ups and downs goes very quickly. I am just getting the time to sit and reply to the comments posted a week ago. Most of my posts are scheduled a long time ago. Thanks for going through to catch up on all the posts. You are a blessing to all of us and we pray your continual strength. God bless you, my friend.

      Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.