SNHU Highlights Learners Balancing Family and Education for Mother’s Day

Published for SNHU on 6/2/2026 - Alyssa Taranto

Southern New Hampshire University is marking Mother’s Day by celebrating the learners who pursued their degrees while raising families, building careers and shaping futures. These mothers show how education and caregiving can move forward together, each strengthening the other. Their stories also reflect how SNHU supports students wherever they are in their lives.

For AP Fleetwood of Fayetteville, N.C., earning her degree was a continuation of the values she built within her family. After pausing her education to raise three children, Fleetwood returned to school with a shared goal. She and her eldest daughter, Zharria, created an academic plan that would bring them to commencement at the same time.

Zharria completed her bachelor's degree in criminal justice and hopes to work as a crime scene technician or a juvenile counselor. AP earned her associate degree in business administration and plans to launch a dog treat business inspired by her grand dog’s health needs.

Their journey was filled with moments of connection. They studied across the bed from one another, encouraged each other through each term and celebrated every milestone as a team. At 2026 Spring Commencement, they crossed the stage together and honored the path they built side by side.

AP & Zharria

In McDonough, Ga., Tikila McBride and her daughter, Kiara, shared their own version of a mother-daughter journey. Kiara enrolled at SNHU first and pursued her bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and management with plans to create her own clothing line. Her enthusiasm for learning inspired McBride to return to school as well.

Tikila, a service consultant with prior human resources experience, completed her bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources management. The two graduated together as mother and daughter, best friends and proud first-generation college graduates. Their commencement reflected their shared drive and the encouragement they offered each other throughout their programs.

Tikila & Kiara

For Ashley Newman of Rumney, N.H., education blended naturally into the rhythm of her daily life. A school bus driver and mother of two, with a third child due shortly after commencement, Newman completed her coursework between routes and during quiet moments on her shift.

She said the online format allowed her to continue her education “without putting my responsibilities on hold.” Newman earned her associate’s degree in accounting and is preparing for a career transfer into that field. Her story shows how learning can fit into a full and active family life.

Ashley Newman

In Tennessee, Kuiana Cleaves celebrated a milestone seven years in the making. A mother of five, grandmother of three, cosmetologist and entrepreneur, Cleaves spent years helping others prepare for life’s biggest moments from behind the salon chair. This spring, she stepped into her own moment and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Inspired by earlier work in childcare and a desire to support others, she is now looking to apply her education to make a positive impact in her community.

Kuiana & family

Together, these mothers reflect the many ways learners weave education into their lives. They do not set aside their roles as caregivers. Instead, they draw strength from them. Their stories echo the broader SNHU community, where students arrive from every stage of life and find support to meet them where they are.

This Mother’s Day, SNHU is honoring mothers like Fleetwood, McBride, Newman and Cleaves. Their journeys show that pursuing a degree is an act of commitment to their families, to their futures and to the belief that learning can grow alongside every chapter of life.

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