Kim Devine has been a student at the University of Southern Indiana for 18 years. Her daughter, Morgan Devine, has been a student at USI for four years. In two days the two women will walk across the stage in the Physical Activities Center (PAC) to collect their USI diplomas.

Kim started her classes at USI in 1994 when Morgan was entering pre-school. Kim’s first class was sociology, and she took it off campus at a Catholic church. She continued to take off campus classes as Morgan grew up. She took a class a semester, and took a year off at some points. 

Kim owns an employment agency and is getting her degree as a backup plan in case something goes wrong with the business. 

“Getting a degree has always been an important goal to reach for me,” Kim said. “My dad died when I was 17, and I promised him that his youngest girl would graduate from college.”

In 2008, Morgan graduated from Signature School in Evansville with plans to attend Naropa University in Colorado. Financial limitations kept her from moving across the country and she stayed in Evansville and started USI as a full-time student in the fall of 2008.

During her first semester at USI, Morgan found what she was passionate about and what degree she wanted to pursue: geology.

“The way I look at it now, it was a blessing that I didn’t have the money to go to Colorado because the college that I was planning on going to didn’t have geology as a major, and I would have never fell in love with it,” Morgan said. 

When Morgan came to USI, Kim figured out that if she picked up her class load and became a full-time student that she could graduate at the same time as her daughter. Kim sat down with Morgan and discussed if she was all right with the idea, Kim said. 

“I didn’t want to embarrass her or steal her thunder if we graduated at the same time,” Kim said. “Luckily, she has been a really great sport, and we’ve helped each other through a couple semesters.”

During their time together at USI, the mother and daughter took a Health and Wellness class together, and Morgan sometimes helped tutor her mom.  Kim would call or text her daughter when she needed help with math homework since the last time she took math was in 1982, Kim said.

“It never bothered me to help her because I would help other students, but I would get more agitated with her because I have a relationship with her,” Morgan said.

Morgan is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in geology, and Kim is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business on Saturday. The graduations are split by colleges, so the two will not be walking across the stage during the same ceremony.

“It’s kind of bittersweet that we are graduating in two different ceremonies because we can both watch each other walk across the stage, but we will have to be at the PAC all day,” Morgan said. “I’ve always looked up to my mom. She’s a really hard worker and put her childrens needs first, that is what she is just now graduating. Some people would be embarassed to be graduating with their mom, but I think it is awesome.”