Melissa Williams, a 42-year-old African American mother from San Antonio, Texas, has successfully enrolled her three daughters as college students before they even turned 15 years old. They are attending Miles College, which is an HBCU, and they’ve all earned scholarships along the way.
“I take my responsibility as a mother seriously. I look at it as an assignment from God. So I work it whole soul, whole heart,” Williams told KENS5 News.
Williams, who proudly calls her home the “Godly House,” has 6 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren — 5 daughters and 1 son — whom she was all hands-on with their education.
Williams homeschooled her oldest daughter Ate’sia and her son Isaac, tailoring curriculums to suit her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren’s strengths.
Alana, her first daughter to graduate in 2021, excelled in online studies, receiving multiple university offers. Williams chose to enroll Alana in Miles College, an HBCU in Alabama, which is strategically close to other family members in Birmingham. With a 3.7 GPA, Alana entered college at just 14 years old. She is a biology pre-med major.
“I could say that I was really surprised in myself that I did it based on where everybody else’s journey was,” Alana said.
Following in Alana’s footsteps, Aniyah aced her studies, graduating at only 13 years old with a 3.0 GPA. She joined her sister at Miles College where she is majoring in business/pre-law. Even though she was nervous, she easily blended in with the college crowd, mostly because of her being tall for her age.
“People think that since I graduated at 13, I had to be some 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 genius or a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 prodigy,” Aniyah said. “But I’m just as smart as the next person.”
Most recently, Adina graduated and has now joined her sisters at Miles College at the age of 14. With a 3.5 GPA, she enters college as a political science major.
“I was always been known to be, like, the stupid kid and the weirdo. So I didn’t think I could really do it,” Adina said. “It was always because of my weight and because of the questions I would ask.”
Their mother, while adjusting to the distance, provided unwavering support. She said, “It was definitely scary and challenging. And it took a lot of prayer and God’s direction and faith.”
Moreover, the Williams sisters credit their mother’s strong relationship with God and steadfast belief in a better future that pulled them through even during times of homelessness. Now, they’re on the rise, excelling academically and even in extracurricular activities.
With their hearts set on success, the three sisters look forward to making an impact on campus. And they also believe that their youngest sister Aubriella, who is now 9 years old, might follow in their footsteps one day.
