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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) 鈥� 听When it comes to earning an engineering degree from 91制片厂, the Buford family isn鈥檛 settling for just one鈥攖hey are aiming for three. Shawn Buford will proudly graduate with her master鈥檚, while her son, Joshua Buford, will receive his undergraduate degree, accounting for two of the degrees. The mother and son duo will participate in TSU鈥檚 upcoming Spring Commencement ceremonies, with The School of Graduate Studies on Friday, May 3, followed by the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, May 4. The two, along with family and friends, will celebrate their academic milestone just one day apart from each other.听

鈥淚t feels incredible,鈥� Shawn said, as she prepares to receive her master鈥檚 degree in data science with a 4.0 GPA.

鈥淚t shows that you never get too old to go back to school. This is a family affair. Don鈥檛 ever let fear or insecurity keep you from what you鈥檙e doing because you鈥檒l be missing out on your blessing.鈥�

Shawn started her collegiate journey with a degree in chemistry nearly 30 years ago from Hampton University. The Brooklyn, New York, native and mom decided to go back to school after discovering that TSU had launched a new data science program in 2022.

Joshua, who is set to receive his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering on May 4 with a 3.7 GPA, picked up his cap and gown alongside his mother this week, both graduating with honors.

He stated that the duo graduating together wasn鈥檛 planned.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of her,鈥� Joshua said. 鈥淚 know school has been something that she has enjoyed, and just getting to see her dream fulfilled is exciting. I鈥檓 happy to witness her live out her dream and walk across the stage, and then I get to walk the next day. It鈥檚 an opportunity that a lot of people don鈥檛 get to have.鈥�

Meanwhile, the Bufords鈥� eldest son, Christopher Buford II, prepares to join the ranks next semester when he obtains his master鈥檚 in engineering. He and his mother Shawn began their journey together in 2022 when the pair both started the master鈥檚 program.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been very supportive of each other, and we just go home and get to talk about our experiences after classes,鈥� Christopher said. 鈥淎nd then we just do work together because we need that support. So, it鈥檚 been an amazing experience.鈥�

Christopher, who previously earned his undergraduate degree from TSU, is set to receive his master鈥檚 in mechanical engineering next semester. He shared that witnessing his mother鈥檚 return to school, alongside his younger brother, has inspired him to consider pursuing his Ph.D. at TSU in the near future.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been very motivating because I look at what my mom and Josh are doing, and it鈥檚 the fact that we鈥檙e getting our education from an HBCU,鈥� Christopher said. 鈥淭SU has so many great opportunities here.鈥�

The trio were all also inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society at TSU.

Both of Shawn鈥檚 sons gravitated to STEM due to her chemistry background, but with their father, Christopher Sr., being a 1992 TSU alumnus, it was an obvious decision to attend the school that was right in their backyard.

College of Engineering Associate Dean Catherine Armwood-Gordon revealed that TSU has graduated over 600 students from the College of Engineering from 2018 -2022. According to Zippa there are currently over 228,900 engineers employed in the United States and only 3 percent of engineers identify as African American.

Shawn said she looks forward to walking the stage and turning around to watch her sons follow suit to all be a part of increasing that 3.3 percent. 鈥淲e helped each other, encouraged each other, and supported one another during this journey,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd as a non-traditional student, I didn鈥檛 know how the students in this generation were going to receive me. But the TSU students are incredibly smart, polite, and embrace me. So, it鈥檚 been such an incredible experience.鈥�

Dr. Lin Li, the dean of engineering, praised the family鈥檚 dedication to education, stating, 鈥淭he Buford family鈥檚 commitment to academic excellence is truly inspiring and reflects the values of TSU鈥檚 engineering program. Congratulations to the Buford family as we look forward to their return for yet another engineering degree.鈥�

Shawn said she looks forward to returning to TSU to pursue another master鈥檚 degree with an end goal of teaching STEM education. While Joshua looks forward to kicking off his engineering career this year.

United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and President Glenda Glover will be taking the stage as the keynote speakers for the 2024 Spring Commencement ceremonies. Senator Warnock will address graduate students on Friday, May 3, at the Gentry Center Complex. The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. President Dr. Glover will address undergraduate students the following morning, May 4, at 8 a.m. in Hale Stadium. TSU will live stream both ceremonies at www.tnstate.edu/livestream.