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Just call her Dr. Jones

When you’re told you’ll never graduate, you do it three times.

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    Kelley D. Evans By @kelleysthrngrl

    “All hope is not lost. Keep pushing. Keep believing. Keep God first. Delayed does not mean denied.” — Shaniqua Jones

    After facing down a life of extreme hardship and sometimes overwhelming difficulties, Shaniqua Jones enrolled at Governors State University in 2010 and received her bachelor’s degree, then a master’s in criminal justice and this week, she will earn a doctorate in education in interdisciplinary leadership.

    “This is just the beginning,” Jones shared in the moving video “Shaniqua’s Journey.”

    “A journey not shared is a soul not healed,” said Jones, who describes herself as a survivor.

    Yes, indeed, but she is also a thriver.

    Kelley Evans is a digital producer at Andscape. She is a food passionista, helicopter mom and an unapologetic Southerner who spends every night with the cast of The Young and the Restless by way of her couch.

    This Story Tagged: Get Lifted