Graveyard Shifts and Graduation: How a Single Mom of Seven Made Her Degree Happen

Working the night shift at UPS management while raising seven kids doesn’t exactly leave room for a leisurely college experience. But that’s exactly what Kathryn Scott pulled off—and she just walked across the stage at Stanislaus State University’s 66th commencement ceremonies to prove it.

Scott earned her bachelor of social science degree this week as nearly 3,000 graduates participated in the festivities on the Turlock campus. Her strategy was simple, if grueling: work graveyard, stay up, go to school during the day, and somehow keep it all together.“I pulled it off,”she told KCRA 3, with the kind of understated pride that suggests she’s handled far harder things than a camera crew.

What makes her story resonate beyond the feel-good moment is the message she’s broadcasting to other single parents watching from the sidelines.“I want all the single moms out there to know that it’s very possible to make your dreams come true,”Scott said.“Nothing can stop you. Just make it happen.”It’s not motivational-poster speak—it’s battle-tested wisdom from someone who actually did the thing while managing one of the most demanding jobs imaginable.

The commencement week at Stanislaus State isn’t just about standout stories like Scott’s, though her determination certainly stands out. The university reports that many of the graduating class are first-generation college students representing communities across California and from countries including Mexico, India, Korea, Bangladesh, and Croatia. The age range alone—from a 19-year-old youngest degree candidate to a 77-year-old oldest graduate—tells you that education doesn’t follow a timeline. But Scott’s particular combination of working nights, raising seven children, and still managing to excel reminds us that sometimes the people who accomplish the most are the ones who had the least ideal circumstances to begin with.

If you know a single parent grinding through school right now, Scott’s message is worth sharing. Not as inspiration porn, but as proof of concept: it’s messy, it’s hard, and it absolutely can be done.