The month of May is a busy and exciting time at Becky Gates Children’s Center, and we have much to celebrate! 

With pre-K graduation coming up, we decided to ask a few of our graduates what it means to graduate. A student from our Aggies classroom answered that, “Graduation means you’re going to a new school and getting to celebrate your new school.” Starting at a new school can be a big change, and we know they are going to be superheroes taking on kindergarten! As our classrooms get ready for graduation, Zahran from the Aggies classroom said, “[They] are going to dance, sing ‘My Little Aggies’ and have a cake party!” 

Texas A&M University is strengthening its commitment to supporting Texans’ education at all stages of life. Not only do we have pre-K students getting ready to graduate, we also have parents that are furthering their education. Several parents have passed or will soon defend their proposal or dissertation for their doctoral degree and offered to explain their side of how it feels to graduate. 

Miriam Catalan explained how it feels to be a parent undergoing this process and said, “Embarking on a doctoral degree while being a parent is a challenge and advancing to candidacy means that I am so much closer to reaching my career goals. It is validating to get recognition and awards because I know my success provides my child the opportunities for a brighter future. As a first-generation college student, I will be able to demonstrate to my daughter that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself.” 

Another parent, Hannah Judd, is a Ph.D. student who is defending her dissertation in May and will begin as a professor at Brigham Young University. When asked how the center has impacted her as she continues through this process she answered, “Becky Gates [Children’s Center] has helped SO MUCH! It means the world to know that our son is safe and happy and learning SO MUCH while I’ve been going through this phase of my dissertation. We love seeing his friends wave hello and goodbye to each other.” 

Our goal at Becky Gates Children’s Center is to support our families in any way possible. Congratulations to all of our graduates from pre-K to Ph.D. – you are all truly our superheroes!