• SITE
• HOMES
• MOTORS
• CAREERS
• STUFF

Cameras flashed as the 47-year-old mother of five boys crossed the stage to receive her diploma.

Walking off stage, she looked back and smiled at her cheering family.

Her 27-year-old son Daniel White, in the crowd at the University of Houston-Victoria commencement, would also graduate that evening. It would be a day to remember and the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

Delores White walked with 237 other graduates on Saturday – one of the university’s largest graduation ceremonies.

As president of the student senate, White addressed her fellow graduates. Inspired by the words of Winston Churchill, she emphasized courage -- to overcome past failures and to take courses of action, like enrolling in college.

“Today is our day. Today is our reward, our success shining for all to see,” she said. “We will walk in the glow of this day, but each of us still has a journey ahead that will take the same courage that brought us this far.”

Delores White traveled her own 20-year journey to earn a master of arts in counseling psychology. She completed her associate degree in 1991, but started working to help take care of five boys, now ages 25 through 29.

She worked for Things Remembered for 17 years and was given a choice when the company merged. The mom took a severance package with six-months’ pay and enrolled at University of Houston-Victoria in 2004 to complete her bachelor’s in psychology.

At that time, her son Daniel left the Marines to enroll in The Victoria College. He joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 1999 because he wanted to see the world.

After earning his associate degree, he continued on to study biology at Texas Lutheran University. The mother and son found out this year they would both be graduating on the same day.

The two denied that they felt any sense of competition. Then they compared the amount of regalia each wore for the ceremonies.

What did all those cords and sashes show? The mom served as president of the student senate and belonged to several honor societies. The son served as president of the 2008 senior biology class and also as president of the biology honors society at Texas Lutheran.

“We’re natural leaders – ambitious, energetic,” she said.

Delores added she earned a 4.0 grade-point average.

“I beat him a little bit,” she said, teasing him.

“She didn’t have to take all the chemistry classes,” he shot back.

What do they plan to do for Mother’s Day? “Rest,” they both said.

Tara Bozick is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6504 or tbozick@vicad.com.