Because we’re all caught up in the rat race, society conventions mandate a specific schedule for each life milestone. You’re expected to know your ABCs by a certain age, complete high school in a particular number of years, marry before your “eggs dry up,” have children before your “eggs dry up,” and spend the rest of your life making sure your progeny follow the same routine. However, given the nature of life, things do not always go as planned. Is this, however, a sign that you’ve failed? Certainly not. Just ask this gorgeous mom-of-two!
Stephanie M. Jackson, a 50-year-old single mother of two, recently left Twitter in awe of her after her daughter used the platform to brag about her mother’s accomplishments. When Nya Syndab, Jackson’s daughter, shared a photo of her bombshell mother in a lovely red jumpsuit last week, she was every bit the pleased daughter.
“My mom became a doctor at 50! Dreams always come true. Congratulations, beautiful,” she wrote. “She’s truly amazing! My fave.” The message soon gained traction on the microblogging platform, with many people seeing Jackson’s narrative as the motivation they needed to pursue their dreams.
“As a 22-year-old college drop out who feels like his life is shit this at least gives me a little motivation and realization that this is not the end and I got time to rebuild myself,” commented Twitter user @marcusbell334. Syndab responded with words of encouragement for the young man, revealing that it had taken her a few extra years to finish her undergraduate. “It’s never the end. It took me 6 1/2 to finish undergrad and I finished this year. You’re on the right track… don’t you worry about a thing,” she wrote.
“I appreciate the encouragement [because] for the longest I was like damn it’s kids my age with career jobs already and I’m still working a dead-end 11.50/hour job. But I’m in the process of paying off the balance I owe right now so I should be re-enrolled in the spring if it’s paid by then,” @marcusbell334 wrote back. Another Twitter user, @LeotheLion25, had a similar story to share as they shared how Jackson’s achievement has inspired them to finish college. “I was the same. Seeing this topic made me very happy and it shows that age is just a number. I like to return back to college one day myself and finish my degree,” they wrote.
With so many people interested in learning more about her mother’s story, Syndab responded in a follow-up tweet, explaining that Jackson had raised her and her brother on her alone. “Quit her job as a high school teacher to move to Atlanta to complete her doctorate,” she tweeted. “She put me through Spelman College & my brother just started at Morehouse. Took her 6 1/2 years to complete her Doctor of Chiropractic degree while raising us.”
She also shared a few words of motivation for those who “feel like they are too old to pursue medicine (or any other goal)” and that it’s too late to fulfill those dreams. “I would say to you that because you have a passion/a desire to become a doctor, it was meant for you. Whenever we have a desire for something, it’s the universe and our intuition telling us that that’s the path for you. No matter how much you feel like you’re off track from your goal, our life has a funny way of bringing us back to where we wanted to be the whole time,” she wrote. “I encourage you to pursue medicine again, no matter how old you are. The world needs your healing hands.”
