June 22 , 2004 Print this page

Joanne Holmes of Willingboro, New Jersey, Triumphs
Over Hardship and Earns Bachelor’s Degree from La Salle University

It took 17 years for Joanne Holmes to finish her college diploma but, on Mother’s Day, at age 41, she received her Bachelor’s Degree from La Salle University and celebrated along with her mother, who has been with her every step of the way.

“I wished I could buy my mom a cap and gown so she could walk next to me. She deserves this as much as I do,” Holmes said. “Emotionally, financially, and physically she went through this process with me.”

Holmes had her first child at 16 and married at 17. It did not last. In 1986, she married again and had a second child, but subsequently divorced.

In order to provide for herself and her children, Holmes knew she wanted a career, and to do that she needed a degree. She entered community college in 1988 and attended intermittently. Holmes was forced to take semesters off in order to work. It took her nine years to earn her Associate’s Degree in general studies.

“I knew I wanted a degree and a career but I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said.

Over the years, Holmes had witnessed neglect among her children’s friends, which helpe her discover her career path.

“There was this friend of my son’s who was always at our house. I would say ‘Your parents must be worried about you’ and he would say ‘They don’t care’ and I would call and sure enough, they didn’t care. That is when I became interested in social work. I decided I wanted to help people who really needed it,” she said.

Holmes entered La Salle in the fall of 1997 to complete her bachelor’s in social work. She was side tracked once again when her stepfather became seriously ill with cancer and died in May of 1999. In addition to dealing with her stepfather’s death, Holmes was reeling from the failure of her third marriage and was pregnant with her third child.

“It was a really bad time, and I dropped out of school and moved in with my mom,” said Holmes, who, in addition to her now 16-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, is also raising her oldest son’s child.

With her mother’s help, Holmes started again at La Salle in January of 2000.

“My mother was very adamant about me finishing school, and she sacrificed to make it happen,” she said. “It is unbelievable to me that I am actually graduating. I just can’t wrap my brain around the fact that I am finally done.”