Single mother of 5 proudly poses with children in law school graduation photos: 'We did it'
Ieshia
Champs never could have imagined what she would achieve when she grew
up, as she bounced around family homes, entered into the foster care
system, and had her first child at age 19.
But nearly 14 years and a
total of five kids later, the single mother is about to graduate from law school after a difficult journey — and she says her faith led her through it all.
The 33-year-old, who is originally from Port Arthur, Texas, has been through a lot. However, from the looks of her beautiful family
in her recent graduation photos, it seems like the more trying times
might have been worth her consequent path. From leading her to Houston
and to a church that provided her with guidance, as well as the people
she would quickly call family, Champs is now seeing that her earlier
struggles are coming full circle. And it all goes back to one Child Protective Services caseworker, Gail Covington, who picked her and her siblings up when Champs was just around 7 years old.
“I’ll never forget it,” Champs tells Yahoo Lifestyle,
of the moment Covington brought them to a home outside of the chaos
that the little girl was used to. “I cried so hard because I missed my
familiar surroundings, even though they were horrible. And one day, I
woke up in time for school. I actually had a bed to sleep in, and we had
brand-new clothes on the floor. It was then that I realized my friends
had no idea about this type of life.”
What
Champs explains as the “drug-filled environment” where she lived with
her mom was the norm for everyone in their neighborhood. Once she had an
idea of another type of lifestyle, she began to wonder what she could
do about all of the people left behind without help. Her teachers
introduced her to the idea of becoming an attorney and providing a
service similar to what Covington provided Champs. However, she would
eventually return to a toxic environment soon thereafter.
Being adopted
by a maternal uncle, Champs says that she and her siblings eventually
ended up back in an apartment with their mom — which ended up leading
her down a bad path.
“We really didn’t have much guidance,” Champs explains. “My sister ended up having her first baby at 14.
I ended up dropping out of school my 10th or 11th grade year, and I ran
across my kid’s father.
We ended up having our first child, and then we had a second. And it just kept going.”
We ended up having our first child, and then we had a second. And it just kept going.”
It
was when Champs had three children and a fourth on the way that her
life began to change. Her sister enticed her to attend a service at the Ministers for Christ Christian Center in Houston, led by Bishop Richard
and Louise Holman, who she now refers to as dad and mom. Champs recalls
a service where Louise, who serves as a prophetess, called the single
mother up to the front of the church and offered up information about
Champs’s future. Louise said that God wanted Champs to go back to school
to get her GED, so she could eventually follow her dream of becoming a lawyer — a dream that Champs had never shared with Louise.
“She
told me that God would take care of me,” Champs says of Louise’s
encouragement. “During that same year — it was 2009 — I ended up having a
house fire, I lost everything that I had. I got laid off from my job,
the father to two of my children died of cancer while I was seven months
pregnant, I literally tried to kill myself, and I ended up going back
to get my GED.”
Champs
credits the inspiration and prayers from the Holmans for her getting an
associate’s degree in paralegal studies at Houston Community College,
and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Houston. Both degrees
eventually brought her to the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas
Southern University, where she’ll be graduating in May. Although
receiving her Juris Doctor degree was far from easy, she commends her
five children for making it possible.
Giving
her time to do both her work and rest, Champs says that her eldest son,
who is now 14, has been amazing at taking the other four children —
ranging in age from 5 to 12 — to a quiet place in the house to do
activities or eat a snack. In order to honor this commitment, she
decided to include them all in her graduation photos, which were taken
by Bishop Richard.
“I’ve been attending Ministers for Christ for about 10 years, and [Richard] is not just my bishop,”
Champs says. “He’s a professional photographer, and he knows my story. So I wanted him to be very active in that.”
Champs says. “He’s a professional photographer, and he knows my story. So I wanted him to be very active in that.”
Now, as the bishop’s photos circulate around the internet, Champs’s older children are beginning to understand what “going viral” means.
However, Champs remains focused on what she wants to do with her
doctorate once she passes the bar exam, which is to become a general
attorney with a specialization in family law and juvenile law, and
eventually become a judge.
“I
feel like with what I’ve been through as a child and in my upbringing, I
can probably help some of these juveniles who may feel like there’s no
hope for them,” Champs explains. “I want to be the one to fight for
those children who are in these horrible living arrangements. To try to
help them reconcile with the family, or if not, give them the same
opportunity that I had.”
No comments
Your comments and Encouragement are welcome