Editor’s note: Leading up to the Dec. 19 commencement ceremony, UALR will highlight stories about noteworthy graduate candidates who have interesting or inspiring stories to share. This submitted story features Edwina Mosby, who is expected to earn her master’s degree in professional and technical writing.

About two years ago, Edwina Mosby took a leap of faith.

She was an assistant research compliance officer for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock when in October 2013, she left the position to enroll as a full-time student in the university’s professional and technical writing master’s degree program.

In order to support the living expenses of her and her son, Mosby decided to exhaust her retirement savings, and she also took a position as a graduate assistant in the UALR University Writing Center.

Uncertain about the journey ahead, she began classes Jan. 13, 2014, but on Jan. 16, 2014, she received the worst news she could have imagined. Her 45-year-old sister had passed away in her sleep from sickle cell anemia.

Mosby had to explain the death to her 8-year-old son, who had undergone his monthly treatment for sickle cell anemia at Arkansas Children’s Hospital only the day before. Despite the emotional struggle, Mosby persevered and made it through her first semester with a 4.0 GPA.

Injury strikes

Shortly after completing her first semester, Mosby tore her right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while exercising. She had been accepted to participate in the Little Rock Writing Project Summer Institute, which she considered an opportunity of a lifetime. She opted to not have surgery to correct her leg injury and wore a leg brace the entire summer, eventually deciding to endure a month of physical therapy before starting classes in fall 2014.

The semester was extremely difficult for Mosby, but she managed to complete it with a 3.85 GPA. The winter cold increased the pain to become almost unbearable; meditation combined with appropriate medication helped her cope.

Finding peace in writing

Mosby’s sister had put her life on hold to live with Mosby and her son when he had open-heart surgery, so the three of them had a unique bond. Mosby used her writing assignments to discuss her grief and make peace with the loss of her sister.

Mosby was looking forward to the spring semester when she would be enrolled in the thesis proposal class, a highlight for most people in the program. But, as she wrote her proposal and prepared to defend it, Mosby received a phone call that her father passed away from a massive heart attack. Once again, her world turned upside down.

Her parents had been married 47 years. Losing her father was even harder for Mosby than losing her sister. She expected he would tell her son about manhood and all that came with it. She expected to have him walk her down the aisle and tell her future husband the rules for keeping his “baby girl” happy.

His death occurred the same week Mosby was scheduled to defend her proposal, so giving up was not an option. She had come too far. To gain her bearings, she decided to take a week off from school but managed to defend her proposal before the spring semester ended.

By this time, her retirement savings were depleted, and she had two more classes before she finished the program. She took a part-time job so she could still focus on writing her thesis while also handling financial responsibilities for her and her son.

Mosby completed her thesis and was waiting for comments from her faculty advisor and committee. She was doing well in her other class, too. She had a 3.9 GPA, and graduation was only a month away.

Then, Mosby received a call that her other sister had passed away from sickle cell anemia complications. She, too, had died in her sleep at 46 years old. Mosby forced herself to get through the routine tasks of life, but for two weeks, her life was blurred by stark depression.

Snapping out of depression

Nearly at the end of her rope, Mosby received word from her faculty advisor that she was scheduled to defend her thesis titled, “My Journey: A Memoir on Individualism, Motherhood, and Black Feminism.” It helped her to snap out of depression and resume a somewhat normal life until she could defend the thesis in November.

Recently, Mosby received notification her thesis was approved. Upon hearing the news, she screamed aloud, “Thank you God for helping me make it through this journey!”

She is scheduled to graduate with a Master of Arts degree in professional and technical writing Dec. 19. Her journey, though difficult, has not abated her hope of flourishing in the field of writing and communications.