Media Contact
Kenya King
Director
Public Relations and Marketing Communications
Perimeter College
[email protected]
DECATUR, Ga. — Jeria Barnes always knew she wanted to complete her college education. She just didn’t realize it would take more than 20 years.
Barnes, now a 40-year-old resident of Riverdale, graduated from Perimeter College on May 8. Her first step toward getting a college education occurred 22 years ago.
“I started college at 18, but I had to drop out due to family and financial obligations,” she said.
For years, Barnes pondered how she could fit going back to college into her busy schedule as a wife and mother of two — a daughter first and, later, a son. Eventually, she told herself, “No more excuses.”
Barnes discovered that Perimeter College would allow her to complete the first part of her educational journey as a full-time online student.
“Perimeter College fit my budget, schedule and lifestyle perfectly,” she said.
For Barnes, earning her associate degree from Perimeter has taken her a step closer to her bachelor’s degree. She is seamlessly transferring to Georgia State University’s Atlanta Campus this summer as an online student and, because of her love for writing, she will focus on journalism within the Interdisciplinary Studies program. She eventually will pursue her teaching credentials, however, because her ultimate goal is to become a kindergarten teacher.
“Believe it or not, my own kindergarten experience is still most memorable,” Barnes said. “My friendly, smart, pretty teacher instilled a desire for learning within me at an early age.”
Turning 40 has become a magical year for Barnes. She calls it her “sankofa season,” taken from the Akan West African word translated to mean “looking backward to move forward.”
Barnes is not the only one in her family moving forward. Her 17-year-old daughter, Xantia Dunning, graduated this spring from Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale and is enrolling this summer at Georgia State University’s Atlanta Campus as a political science major. She plans to stay on campus beginning in the fall in order to take full advantage of college life.
During high school, Dunning was a varsity cheerleader, a trained classical dancer and a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, a group that helped shape her ideas about how to engage and help others. Her goal is to serve as a role model to young adults who want to make a difference.
Barnes and Dunning are very close and share interests. They spend time together listening to music, dancing, planning movie nights and regularly scheduling what Dunning calls “brunch with mommy.”
“Enrolling in the same college at the same time gives us another reason to spend more time together,” Dunning said.
Barnes says she is excited to start the next chapter of her life. She has become a student assistant within Perimeter College’s Office of Public Relations and Marketing Communications on the Decatur Campus.
“The supportive staff have taught me many new skills and helped me fine tune my writing skills,” she said. “Leading by example and showing my daughter what can be accomplished when you set your goals and believe in your dreams has always been most important to me. I couldn’t be prouder of the road we’ve chosen to travel together.”
— Story by Barbara Obrentz