Mother Tamika Stanton And Her Son, Tomantae Stanton-Jones, Graduate Together From North Carolina Central University
In a story that epitomizes Black excellence, ambition, and resilience, a mother and son are making history together.
According to ABC 11, Tamika Stanton and her son, Tomantae Stanton-Jones, were recent graduates of the class of 2025 at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina. They walked the same graduation stage, celebrating degrees that represent not only academic achievement but decades of determination.
Stanton became pregnant with her son at 15 but did not allow that moment to define or limit her. After earning her bachelor’s degree at NCCU, she returned to pursue her master’s degree in social work, officially earning “Double Eagle” status, according to the news outlet.
Stanton-Jones, meanwhile, graduated summa cum laude from NCCU’s School of Law, one of the top HBCU law schools in the country as AFROTECH™ previously reported. He was already building a legacy of excellence inspired by his mother’s unwavering example, as he became a Gates Scholar at Hillside High School in Durham, NC, where she had attended. He went on to become a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alum, ABC 11 reported.
“My ultimate goal was to be finished before he finished school because I was like, ‘Oh, he is killing it,” Stanton told the outlet. “I got to show him that I can do it.”
Their journey wasn’t without obstacles. Stanton-Jones’ father, Leniel Jones, temporarily moved back to Connecticut with his family and was incarcerated for three years. He didn’t meet his son until he was 8, the outlet reported. After returning home, Jones was committed to being an active co-parent and an entrepreneur, as he runs two restaurants and a nonprofit for at-risk youth.
“That’s why we’re here now, because this is a story for everyone to see,” Jones said in an interview with ABC 11. “We were young. She was 15. I was 16. And he had every reason to not be where he is right now. And he didn’t let that happen. And she didn’t let that happen. It’s never too late.”
Together, this family has turned a story of early parenthood and adversity into a powerful narrative of generational success.
