05/15/2026
Today, my daughter officially earned her Master’s degree in Forensic Science from Texas Tech University. ❤️🖤
She didn’t walk the stage today because she was exactly where she’s spent the last 4 years, pouring her heart into working as the throws manager at the Big 12 Track & Field Championships in Tucson.
Meanwhile, her dad and I are at nationals in Hobbs. Different directions… same sport… all connected by the work, sacrifice, and love that track & field brings into our lives.
summer of Junior year, she spent her time excavating bodies and studying in the field, and honestly, it makes me laugh thinking about how this journey probably started years ago. When she was little, I had her watching Law & Order: SVU and Lifetime movies with me, the same way my auntie/mom Shonee & Dad had me watching them growing up. We’d sit up eating snacks, talking about life, people, safety, behavior, and everything happening in the shows and movies.
Back then, hard conversations weren’t avoided or saved for “when you’re older.” I grew up in East Oakland, a place where awareness mattered. If something could happen in real life, we talked about it. I was taught to pay attention to people, trust my instincts, and understand the world around me. Those conversations shaped me so much that I once thought I’d become a behavioral therapist or forensic behavioral analyst myself… but life took me into coaching lol.
I guess somewhere along the way, I passed that curiosity and passion on to her. ❤️
I’m beyond proud of the woman she has become, intelligent, hardworking, dependable, and committed to excellence both in academics and service to the sport we love.
And I know my mama is smiling proudly from heaven, watching her granddaughter continue to build a legacy. ❤️🕊️
Master’s degree earned.
