One mom from New York is on her way, thanks to USCA

It seemed the odds were stacked against her.

Neither parent graduated from high school; one could not read English.

She grew up in New York, raised by grandparents, with little hope for the future.

“Growing up during the crack epidemic in the South Bronx, you learn a lot of lessons. Many are not through textbooks; most of them are through example and some of them are from a lack of having an example,” said Keisha Nunez, who will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from USCA on Dec. 11.

“Many people thought I wouldn’t amount to much from where I began, but my grandfather pushed me and my brother to keep learning, which is probably why I am the first of my family to obtain a college degree.” 

Being the first isn’t new to her. The mother of one son works in a bank with global clients and has broken family boundaries since she was born.

After all, she was the first grandchild. The first woman to drive a car. The first to purchase a home. The first to move out of New York City. And now, not only the first to earn a bachelor’s degree, in her 50s no less, but the first to attend graduate school. Nunez starts the Master of Mass Communication program at the University of South Carolina in the spring and ultimately plans to earn a doctorate.

“Keisha is a great success story and one of the reasons we have a degree-completion program through Palmetto College,” said Dr. Jason Munsell, chair of the communication and emerging media department.

“Working adults can find a home in our bachelor of arts programs to fulfill their college dreams. Keisha is soon to graduate, was inducted in our honor society, Lambda Pi Eta and is doing a really interesting capstone research project on issues of readability. And now she's been accepted to graduate school.”

Palmetto College allows students to earn their associate and bachelor degrees online. It was a perfect fit for Nunez, a non-traditional, working mother with a demanding full-time job, who lives two hours from Aiken. Palmetto College provided her the flexibility, faculty and resources needed to achieve her educational goals.

“USCA offers the personalization of an education to match the lifestyle of the student and the accessible, full college experience for those who want it. The convergence of these two factors make USCA unlike any of the other available options in the area,” said Nathan Rice, vice chancellor for enrollment management.

“If you want the full on-campus adventure, you can have it. If not, we'll totally meet you where you live. That's a big part of the USCA difference, and it is apparent in the demographics of those enrolled here.”

A tailored approach that works for each student’s individual situation appeals to many who want to earn a four-year degree. Rice says that for next academic year, applications from non-traditional students are up more than 10 percent from last year.

“There are a million ways USCA has helped me achieve my goals. The first being USCA helped me realize that I needed goals,” Nunez said.

“One day in class, Dr. Munsell asked, where do you see yourself in five years, then in 10. I realized in 10 years, unlike the other students, I would be counting down to retirement. That posed the question, what will retirement look like for me?”

Her educational journey began with online community college courses during COVID, then an impromptu conversation with a USCA admissions representative during a college fair. At first, she was interested in the emerging media program but later learned the communication program captured her interest even more.

The courses, research, capstone project and professors inspired her to explore, apply and go to graduate school. Nunez isn’t stopping there. She plans to start a business, providing crisis communication and rebranding consultation.

“The faculty here have been extremely supportive to ensure I am successful,” she said.

“My professors were always willing to hop on a call when I was stuck on an assignment or their quick responses to an email. Between their support and knowing Career Services is here to assist me if I ever need them directs me to the path to obtain my goal. All I must do is have the drive to achieve it.”

Although Nunez graduates with a 3.9 GPA, she hasn’t always had the motivation to apply herself, despite the urging of the one adult in her childhood who earned a high school diploma.

“From an early age, my grandfather would lecture me on the importance of education. He explained that you're not just placed on this earth to survive it, you're placed on it to make it better than how you found it,” Nunez said.

“Looking back, I can only imagine the level of frustration he must have had as he watched me squander away many educational opportunities.”

The time just wasn’t right before now, even though she had opportunities to attend gifted and talented schools in grade school. She preferred a social life with friends to studying.

“The road that I've taken to higher education has not been an easy path, it's been filled with roadblocks and bumps, and I got some lumps and bruises along the way,” Nunez said.

“I realized finding a subject that I enjoyed learning about was the solution to my loss of interest. Once I discovered what was my forte, I had a newfound passion for learning.”

Nunez, along with 467 fellow degree candidates, will attend the commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Convocation Center.

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.