According to Tammy Sumner, her connections to Temple didn’t start when she was first accepted to college. Those roots run deeper than that.

“When I was in elementary school, my fifth grade class took a trip to Temple and I never forgot being on that campus — that’s when the seed was planted,” said Sumner, who graduated with her Bachelor of General Studies degree offered by University College on May 7. “I never wanted to go to college — no one in my family talked about that. But after that trip, I kept watering that seed a little bit. I went to community college, got accepted to Temple and transferred my credits, so the seed got watered a little more.”

When she had to leave Temple before completing her degree the first time, Sumner said, “it was like the winter season had arrived.”

“The roots were still coming in, things were still happening, but you couldn’t see it on the surface. By living my life and caring for my daughter, I was still growing toward my destiny,” she said. “This May, I felt like I had finally bloomed! I was going to actually walk across that stage and leave Temple with my degree. Maybe I ran across the stage a little bit to make sure no one changed their mind!”

Sumner said the “ah ha” moment for her to return to the classroom was when she created a “Road to 40” list for herself.

“I’m going to be 40 this year so I created a list of things that I wanted to get done. One of the first things was that I didn’t complete my bachelor’s degree — I was always so close,” she said. “I actually walked in graduation; I was supposed to come back that summer and finish up my degree, but it just never happened — life happened. It’s been a weight on my shoulders, because I knew I could do it. Now was the time to prove it.”

Sumner said devastating loss contributed to her being unable to initially complete her degree. Her father, she said, “passed away right before I started school at Temple.”

“I was doing all right, I was the first person in my family to go to college, and I was taking a bunch of classes but I didn’t feel like anyone was guiding the ship. I didn’t seem like I was getting any closer to my degree; it was becoming more and more frustrating,” she said. “Fast forward a little bit and in 2014, I had a stillborn. It was a very difficult time.”

In 2015, Sumner welcomed a little miracle, her daughter and loudest and proudest cheering section Ryan.

“She was premature and spent 50 days in the NCIU. So that became my story, of course that became my focus,” she said. “Ryan turned 10 in September. I decided ‘I got you to 10 with no broken bones — she’s doing great — so it’s time to focus on myself a little bit.’ We would sit down and do homework together.”

According to Sumner, after Ryan came home from the hospital she took a part-time job with the Wissahickon Charter School where she has been ever since, currently as an administrative assistant “handling all things enrollment and all things attendance.”

“I think I’d like to maybe move away from the front office aspect of the school and more into compliance to see if that’s a step I want to take. I’m so happy to work at a school that is like ‘Let us know what you want to do and we’ll figure out if we can find a place for you to do it here,’” she said. “For the next month, I think I just want to hold on to my degree and cuddle it. Then I’ll hang it up on the wall and stare at it.”

A little down the road, Sumner also has aspirations toward the legal profession, she said.

“I want to be a lawyer. I’ve been studying for the LSAT since I was a middle school student,” she said. “This is the end of my journey toward my bachelor’s degree, but this is just the beginning of figuring out what’s next for me without this dark cloud hanging over my head. I’ll be back in someone’s classroom soon!”

The Bachelor of General Studies program, Sumner said, has prepared her for what comes next “by all of the support they offer.”

“The folks in the BGS program as already asking me, ‘What’s next for you’ and while I may not have an answer for that just yet, they’ve let me know that after graduation, I still have access to the Career Center and the other resources that Temple provides,” she said. “I know I’m not alone, no matter what my next steps are.”

That feeling of not being alone has been there from the start, Sumner said, “when they told me I only needed one more class to graduate!”

“I would tell anyone who is thinking about going back to school to look into this program because you may be closer to the finish line than you think,” she said. “I thought I had at least a couple of semesters to go, but they made all of those classes and all of those credits work toward completing my degree.”

After taking a long period of time away from the classroom, “I think sometimes you feel like people are going to judge you — what took you so long to come back and do this?” Sumner said.

“Then, just being in class, our teacher (Dr. Rachel Hanson, Faculty Director of the Bachelor of General Studies Program and Assistant Teaching Professor of English) broke us into small groups to meet and exchange information with each other just so we could have support for the semester,” she said. “From that moment, I felt like I was right where I belonged.”

As Sumner looks forward, she is also reflective about the path that has brought her to this moment.

“I used to have this dream about this little girl at my graduation cheering for me. I was like ‘Who is that little girl in my dreams cheering for me?’” she said. “Now I know that’s my daughter. Now I know exactly who it is and who I’m doing this for!”

On May 7, as Sumner beamed a huge smile out to the families in the audience as she walked across the stage and walked across the finish line, her dream had come true. Her daughter Ryan was right there cheering her on the entire time, proudly holding a sign — “Congrats Mommy!!! I Love You!”

“I wasn’t the student that I am now previously, but life happened. I experienced some highs and some devastating lows, but life pushed me toward this newfound love of education and learning and just pushing myself through my circumstances. I have someone — this wonderful, tiny, little person — cheering me on from the sidelines,” she said. “The (BGS program) meets you where you are — they support you through the process to get you from where you’re starting to where you want to go. For adults that are so close to the finish line, this program gives you the boost you need to get that degree!”

The Bachelor of General Studies is designed for learners with prior college and at least sixty transferable credits who are ready to complete their undergraduate degree. The 120-credit bachelor’s program focuses on creating a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers and it allows students the opportunity to customize their degree path. Learn more about the Bachelor of General Studies here.