成功的承诺
Single dad, Bruce Berry, overcomes obstacles to earn his degree in history from the U of I
7:42 p.m.
That’s what time it was when Bruce Berry’s life changed forever.
就在那一刻，他儿子, Brayden, entered the world — a black and blue newborn who fought his way into the world after 12 hours of labor.
“He grabbed my finger right away,贝里说. “我跪下来说，‘嗨，布雷登. 我是你的爸爸.他直视着我的眼睛. 他停止了哭泣，房间安静了下来. 我坠入爱河，我的生活从此改变.
“那一刻改变了一切.”
Berry was 23 when Brayden was born, and his path hadn’t been smooth so far. He dropped out of junior high at age of 15; he struggled with drug addiction; and by age 18, 贝瑞无家可归.
“When my son and I first made eye contact, my life took an abrupt change,贝里说.
He never wavered from the commitment he made to Brayden to start a new life. 今年春天, Berry will see that effort come to completion as he graduates with his bachelor’s degree in history from the 365滚球官网’s College of Letters, 艺术与社会科学.
挣扎的时刻
Berry’s desire to provide a good life for his son wasn’t without other challenging moments. He was awarded full custody of 2-year-old Brayden in 2010 and found himself living in Coeur d’Alene, 爱达荷州, 没有办法养家糊口.
“我口袋里有700美元，却没有工作. We were living in a hotel and were running out of money fast,贝里说. “One night, I looked at my son and started weeping. 我相信我辜负了他.”
但是命运来了. 杰克默文, 健康和福利的倡导者, 把贝瑞介绍给了"家庭承诺, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless people find a place to live, 接受教育，找工作.
“My son still thinks that Mervin was an angel,贝里说.
Family Promise gave Berry the support he needed to start making improvements for Brayden, including helping Berry get his GED and flagger certification.
“They even helped fix my car and gave us new beds for our first apartment,” he said.
Family Promise helped Berry get back on his feet, enabling him to graduate with honors from North 爱达荷州 College in Coeur d’Alene, 爱达荷州, in 2016. He then transferred to U of I in 莫斯科, but paying for school became a challenge.
“As a single dad, we struggled to get through summers with the little cash we had,贝里说.
他求助于他的顾问和导师, 历史系 Professor and Chair Sean Quinlan, 寻求帮助.
“I told Professor Quinlan my concerns about paying for school, 他只是说, “我们可以帮上忙,’”贝里说。.
Berry received the 爱达荷州 Opportunity Scholarship, 以及其他奖学金, 包括丹·巴特勒图书奖学金, the Jeffrey Mesenbrink Memorial 历史 Scholarship, the Winkler Memorial 历史 Scholarship and the Susan B. Roberts Scholarship, which specifically supports single parents at U of I.
“布鲁斯是一个非常专注于学习的人. He is a good student and a good father,” Quinlan said. “Even though some of the scholarships are need-based, it’s his hard work that earned him those scholarships.”
对历史的热爱
Berry started his academic career at U of I studying philosophy, but changed to history after taking Quinlan’s “Age of Revolutions in Europe” course.
“I think Bruce is typical of many of our majors,” Quinlan said. “在某种程度上, they are exposed to the historical discipline, 它点燃了学生们的一些东西. When they discover history for the first time it’s a wonderful moment.”
Berry earned a place on the Dean’s List in fall 2017, serves as vice president for the Pre-Law Society and is a member of the history honors society, α Theta.
“The history department has been very encouraging, making my experience here a lot more enjoyable,贝里说. “I feel I have been taught by the elites of the field.”
家庭支持
Throughout his journey, Berry has found help when the family needed it most. However, he finds his best support system in Brayden, who is now 8.
“布雷登帮了我很多. Without him, I wouldn’t be here,贝里说. “I keep a journal that I plan on giving to him when he gets older to show him that he was the one who saved me.”
The pair often takes turns doing homework, so that Berry can help Brayden with his school work.
毕业后, Berry plans to become a history teacher in the Coeur d’Alene area, 这样他就能多陪陪布雷登了.
“我本来打算上法学院的, and I might still do that after my son graduates high school,贝里说. “But right now, I’m trying to become a history teacher. I love studying the history of law itself.”
Brayden is supportive of his dad’s new plan.
“我认为这很好，”他说. “My dad is smart, and he will get more time with me."
Article by Kathy Foss and Morgan Ward, College of Letters, 艺术与社会科学
2018年4月出版.