Personal Narrative: I Pursue My Degree In High School

My sisters were in high school, still teenagers.

They convinced me that I should go back and complete my degree. This is why it was so important for me to continue in school.

“The three of us, my two younger sisters and I had worked in a tomato factory that summer before I went to my field placement in Cincinnati. My little sisters gave me part of their money to get me to Cincinnati and have something to support myself until the agency gave me a stipend in October. I had only the money that we, the three sisters, made that summer in the tomato factory to sustain me for the months of August and September, before I received a small monthly student worker paycheck from August 1962 until February, 1963.

“My three brothers were in the Navy and my oldest sister was married and away from home. My two younger sisters and I did not know where the four other

So I submitted an application to enroll in your Grandfather’ s school at the Seminary. When I got accepted, I applied for a full scholarship and received it. I enrolled at Bert’s school at Gammon Theological Seminary for the second semester. I completed a year and a half in the seminary and Bert graduated from Gammon that next Spring.

He was ready to go home to Louisiana. I wanted to stay in Atlanta and finish this second Masters Degree I had started at the Seminary.

Bert had been at Dillard University four years and the Air Force three and a half years. He also went to seminary for three years. He was ready to go home and get a church.

“We came to Louisiana where Bert was assigned two small churches in Franklinton, Louisiana.”

“I enrolled in the New Orleans Baptist Seminary as the first Black student and had the time of my life- a really hard time.”

“There were only a few women at the seminary. Remember, many Baptists did not believe in women preacher or female church workers except secretaries at that