Family to Receive Degrees From Troy
By Jerry F. Rutledge, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
Jun. 14–The story of the Howard Paris family is more about its journey than the point it will reach this afternoon at the Columbus Civic Center.
Eight years ago, Paris and his wife Sherby were at a low point in their lives. He was battling a drug addiction that had landed him in jail a number of times, forcing the family to live out of its car. He had been ruled disabled and was receiving disability payments.
They were headed nowhere. But through finding faith and direction in life, the Paris family has identified a new destination.
Today, during Troy University’s spring commencement, four members of the family will be receiving honors degrees — Howard and Sherby bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education, respectively, and daughter Sherieka and son Eldrick master’s degrees in business administration. Sherieka Paris is a couple of courses away from earning a second bachelor’s degree.
“This is a very important occasion for my family and me,” Sherby Paris, 48, said. “We actually were unproductive members of society a number of years ago, gave our lives to the Lord, are now saved, went back into the education field and now are all graduating together — a husband, a wife and two of their children culminating at this point. A few years ago, we had no hope. We did not see a future that we were going to educate ourselves and our children and become productive members of society.”
Howard Paris, 57, said finding God and putting religion first in his life was the genesis of his family’s rebirth. Paris began running and exercising, changing his diet as he brought his body back into shape and eventually going back to the Social Security disability office to inform it he was no longer disabled.
Paris then got a job working on the maintenance staff at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. The academic atmosphere he found at CVCC and across College Drive at Troy was instrumental in turning his family toward education.
He credits CVCC president Laurel Blackwell for pushing him to pursue a degree.
“We called it the CVCC family, because it’s a family environment and they embraced us,” Paris said. “After a while, being in the college environment, I encouraged my children to enroll. My oldest daughter (Sherieka) first, then my son (Eldrick) after he graduated from high school, enrolled at CVCC. They graduated from CV and enrolled at Troy and later we enrolled.”
Sherieka, 27, works in Troy’s admissions office as a graduate records specialist, while Eldrick, 25, is employed in the bookstore. The education tract does not end with the two oldest Paris siblings — daughter Nastassia, 24, has her associate’s degree from CVCC while 16-year-old Michael is an upcoming junior at Russell County High School. He plans to begin dual enrollment at CVCC beginning this fall.
Sherby Paris just finished an internship teaching second- and fifth-grades in a Russell County School System elementary school.
“During Mrs. Paris’ internship, she taught a unit on poetry and the students were engaged and became poets as independent projects were developed,” said Annette Wallace, a member of the undergraduate faculty in Troy’s education department who observed Paris in the classroom. “Her love of poetry was evident as she coached, modeled and explored the world of poetry with the children.
“She has balanced family, church, community, school, social and political responsibilities as she has followed her dream of graduating from Troy University.”
Cherie Fretwell, the business department chair at Troy, said the two Paris siblings were “both hard workers and very conscientious and responsible students.”
“I believe they flourished in the competitive environment in graduate school and truly enjoyed competing against each other throughout the MBA program,” she said.
The family’s educational careers won’t end today. Howard Paris plans to pursue his master’s in psychology and teach on the college level. Sherby Paris plans to teach children and open their doors to a better life through education.
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Copyright (c) 2008, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
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