Graduating from college is a special time in a person’s life, and last month, a mother-daughter duo made it even more memorable by both earning their bachelor’s degrees from Alabama State University (ASU).
Nicole Cosby and her daughter Kaiya King earned a Bachelor of Science in social work and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, respectively, the school announced.
Cosby first attended Alabama State University in the 1990s. However, she took a step back from her studies to become a wife, a mother, and a licensed cosmetologist, according to WSFA 12 News. In 2023, she decided to refocus on completing her studies at the school.
Cosby told the school that she and King did not plan to graduate at the same time.
“My daughter applied, enrolled, and was accepted. At the time, I was a full-time salon owner and had completed nonprofit work in underserved communities,” Cosby said. “That work ignited a passion in me to become a licensed professional who could offer the best care to those I served. ASU had always been a place of safety, empowerment, and nurturing for me, so returning to complete my degree here just made sense. It felt like coming home.”
She told WSFA 12 that she’s “proud of the girl that didn’t get a chance to finish back in the 90s” and that it was an adjustment to experience Alabama State in the 2020s.
King credits her mother’s testimony as being the driving force behind her crossing the finish line in her undergraduate studies.
“I didn’t realize how cool it was going to be until I saw her walk across the stage and then I crossed the stage as well. It was very sentimental,” King told WSFA 12 News. “I cried a little bit. Just a little.”
Cosby told the station, “Here I am as a parent, you know, having a journey with my child for the next four years, but then I came in two years into her journey to start my own journey,” she said. “Overwhelming, but at the same time, so much Black joy, so much pride.”
As for what’s ahead for the pair, Cosby is furthering her education at the University of Michigan to earn a master’s degree in social work. She will begin in August 2025. King is pursuing a master’s degree in business.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, in 2020, Dr. Cynthia Kudji and her daughter, Jasmine Kudji, made history as the first mother-daughter pair to both graduate from medical school in the same year, each from a different institution, and match at the same hospital.
