Children send mother to college for first time

    by Diana De Leon

    Sharon Johnson started dropping hints about wanting to go to college, and her children finally listened.

    The mother of eight and grandmother of one always wanted to go to college and often said that when all her children were in school, maybe she could go too. Those children enrolled her in NE Campus this spring as a Christmas surprise.

    "She has been throwing the idea around for a long time, dropping hints," Chris Johnson, the oldest son, said.

    After getting input from his siblings, Chris visited the NE Campus looking for a good general course and found the New Beginnings program.

    The program is designed for a woman like Sharon, who is in a transitional phase in her life.

    The two courses offered within the program help women with issues they would deal with when returning to or starting a new challenge such as college.

    "This program just seems to fit into what I was looking for," he said.

    The Johnson children were excited about the surprise they got for their mother.

    They bought a leather book satchel and put all information about the New Beginnings program and applications inside.

    "I am the oldest. Because of me, my mom did not get to go to college," he said.

    Chris wrapped the satchel and put it under the Christmas tree at his home in Kansas City.

    Chris and his wife became parents on Dec. 15, and Sharon got her first grandchild. A trip to Kansas before Christmas prompted Chris to hold a mini Christmas for his family.

    "She was overwhelmed and excited about it," Chris said about the moment his mother opened her college present.

    Sharon, who has four children at home plus one in college and three married children, knew nothing of her childrenÕs plans to get her into college.

    Chris explained that his mother has been busy with the children and with a son who is getting married.

    "I did not know; it was a very nice surprise," she said. "It was interesting."

    Sharon always had the idea of going to college once all the kids were in school. Her youngest child is now in kindergarten.

    She reasoned that she could go to work, but without higher education, she did not know what kind of job she might be able to get.

    "I thought if I got more education, I could find out what I can do or what I was interested in doing" she said.

    Chris hopes this NE class will be the springboard that will get his mother interested in pursuing her academic career.

    Sharon has every intention of continuing school and is thinking about combining her love of computers with creativity and possibly turning that into a computer graphics degree.

    "It was clear to me that my mom was interested in college," Chris said.

    Sharon feels some apprehension about seeing all the young students who might make her feel out of place. Helping overcome this apprehension is part of her course.

    "I was a little shaky," she said, "but it was a comfort to see women my age in class."

    Her first class was a get-to-know-your-classmates and a rundown of what to expect from the course.

    Now Sharon Johnson sees this Christmas present as a lot of fun.