GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — With determination and support from a transitional housing program, a young woman who was living in her car and homeless will soon graduate with a four-year degree.
Rashyah Weatherspoon came to Covenant House in Grand Rapids in the beginning of March, not sure where to turn with just two months left to finish her degree at Ferris State University.
“It was just still overwhelming, having to just put so much on myself for a certain amount of time,” Weatherspoon said.
Living in her car and working at the same time, Weatherspoon had a lot to focus on in addition to working toward her bachelor’s degree in social work.
“I didn’t have space to focus. I didn’t have space to have personal time to myself or anything like that, so I would just always look up what was a local library that had study rooms and I would just like go in there for hours and just crank out as many assignments as I could,” Weatherspoon said.
But with support from Covenant House, a housing program that helps people ages 18 to 24, she will be the first in her family to graduate from college.
“I could tell people here love their job,” Weatherspoon said. “They spoke life into me and I lack a lot of family support.”
Shelisa Jeffers, a case manager at Covenant House who helped Weatherspoon join the program, said Weatherspoon shows what can be achieved.
“What we do (at Covenant House) is we help them find stable housing. We show them unconditional love and respect. We help them get employment and if they need to go to school, help them with schooling, too,” Jeffers said. “Her story will give another young person the insight of ‘Hey, I can do it. She did it. I can do it.’”
While there were times when Weatherspoon was not sure she would make it through, she continued to renew her focus and keep going.
“Something I didn’t want to give up on, but something I knew I had to do,” Weatherspoon said.
She will graduate in a ceremony in Big Rapids Saturday.