WKU FAMILY SPOTLIGHTS -Over 200 WKU students nominated their family for the 2021 Family of the Year. As part of the nomination process, students were asked, "Why should your family be WKU's Family of the Year?" Through the end of 2021, WKU Parent and Family Programs will spotlight WKU students and their support system.

WKU Family Spotlight: The Meredith Family

I am not the typical college student. I am a full-time, WKU graduate student this semester working on my doctorate at age 56. Never let age stop you. My father will be 100 years old, and my mother will be 95 years old on their next birthdays. They have been together for 75 years and continue to learn. Despite any difficulties that they have faced through the years, they persevere because of their honorable virtues.

For me, the road has been challenging yet always promising. Fifteen years ago, I unexpectedly and suddenly became a single parent to my three children. The best way I knew to teach my children the power of education was to model it, so I immediately signed up for classes at WKU. Since then, I earned my Master’s degree, became TESOL certified, took students on three WKU Faculty-led study abroad trips to Argentina, was honored as Woman of Achievement in Higher Education by the BG Human Rights Commission, hosted people from 25 countries, encouraged 10,000+ adults to pursue higher education, and for the last several years, have been studying, researching, and ‘burning the midnight oil’ to complete my doctorate.

My children have inspired me in so many ways. I believe in the adage, “iron sharpens iron.” They have influenced me, and I have influenced them. All three earned Bachelor’s degrees, two graduated from WKU. In 2021, my daughter, Ashley, a WKU nursing alum, became a board-certified nurse practitioner. Immediately after passing her boards, she headed to Africa to take care of sick people in the villages of Nairobi, Kenya. During the COVID pandemic, she was a front-line nurse in four U.S. states. My son, Justin, an EKU graduate and former college football player is currently a construction supervisor responsible for building multi-million dollar commercial and residential projects in the Owensboro, Kentucky area. My son, Jordan, a WKU alum and football player, earned All-Conference USA second team and Pro Football Focus College Second Team All-American in 2020. In May 2021, he was recruited by the L. A. Rams as a free agent and played in three NFL pre-season games. PFF ranked him as the number one offensive lineman in the first pre-season game.

I may have started out supporting my children, but subsequently, they ended up supporting me, too. We mutually love, care, and inspire each other. These reasons are what makes my family so special. Just three days ago, I defended my dissertation and have been honored with a new name, Dr. Rita Meredith. WKU was the place where one mother set out to model the power of education and ended up influencing her children, who ultimately are positively touching the lives of people around the world. I truly am grateful for my family and the grace of God to persevere and inspire others. As Nelson Mandela has stated, “What counts in life... is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Submitted by Rita R. Meredith| Educational Leadership Doctoral Program