Immigrant mother and daughter share graduation stage after years of sacrifice
91³Ō¹Ļ, NEB. ā Less than a decade ago, Alougba āNicoleā Gnonse-Padonou packed up her four children, gathered everything she owned, and moved to the United States. An established nurse in Benin, Africa, she was three months into a promotion when she loaded the plane. She decided to put her career aspirations on hold so her children could have new opportunities in the U.S.
This spring, years since that fateful move, the whole familyĢżwill celebrate the fruits of that sacrifice. This weekend, Nicole will cross the 91³Ō¹Ļ graduation stage on the same day as her oldest daughter, Marlene Djidjoho, with her second daughter, Sena Djidjoho, graduating days prior from Mercy High School.
āI am so excited, so grateful,ā says Nicole. āI see myself as ābackā. Before, I was down. I laid down myself for my children.ā
Before making the move to the U.S., Nicole was an accomplished figure in the medical community in Benin. She had worked as a nurse for a total of 17 years, and she was three months into a promotion, in what she describes as her ādream jobā in psychiatric nursing, when she decided to move her family to the United States.
Even though her life was stable in Benin, with a masterās degree and solid nursing career, Nicole says she hoped to give her children new opportunities in the United States. Years earlier, she had helped a friend who was moving to the U.S., and he encouraged her to make the move. So, when she was selected to receive lottery visas for herself and her whole family, she says it was a chance that was too hard to pass up.
āGod decided,ā recalls Nicole. āI won the lottery visa, and I won for the entire family.ā
However, Nicole and the family didnāt anticipate all of the challenges that come along with life as an immigrant. They were thrust into a new culture and new systems, with little grasp of the English language.
āWhen we first moved, I didnāt know English or anything like that,ā Marlene recalls. āSo, when we came, it was fairly difficult at first because we didnāt really know how to blend in and speak the language or understand anyone.ā
Understandably, Marlene picked up the language faster than her mother, who had spent the entirety of her life speaking, and earning advanced degrees, using French. Early on, Marlene says she saw the frustrating circumstance her mother was forced into.
āA lot of her credits and diploma didnāt transfer to the United States, so she had to retake those classes she already took in Benin,ā Marlene explains about her mother. āThat was difficult for her. She was starting all over again in a completely different language.ā
Truly, Nicole faced an uphill climb when she landed in the states. In a matter of hours, she went from a master-level healthcare provider to starting from scratch. She says it was a big adjustment she didnāt fully anticipate.
āI didnāt understand what it meant at that time,ā Nicole recalls, ālike a stranger, when they come to our country, we donāt ask them to go back to school. We just give them an interpreter to do their job.ā
With a limited understanding of English, she says she struggled to pass mandatory nursing boards. Whatās more, with every passing year, she was left locked out of a healthcare industry that was morphing with new practices and technology.
āInstead of staying home and going to the exam and not passing, [I thought] āWhy canāt I go to school and update my knowledge?āā Nicole recalls. āSo, I decided to go back to school.ā
Upon recommendation from several friends, she decided to start classes at 91³Ō¹Ļ in 2015. Still, as she studied and worked to raise her family, another challenge mounted on the horizon. Her oldest daughter, Marlene, was set to graduate from Mercy High School in the spring, and the challenge of finding an affordable, quality college option loomed.
Picking up and moving to the United States had come at a heavy financial cost for the family. Nicole says money was tight as an immigrant, especially as she re-established her own career.
She decided, once again, to ask for help.
āIn her last month, when [Marlene] was graduating from Mercy High Schoolā¦I got the desire to go see her principal,ā Nicole says. āI said, āMy daughter is graduating. She will leave you, but I donāt know where she will goāā¦She said, āGive me two days.āā
A few days later, as Nicole was studying in the CSM library, she was paid a visit by CSM President Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM. She asked Nicole for some final paperwork for Marlene.
āShe said āCan you give me the original of the green card?āā Nicole explains. āThe following day, the principal called me and said Marlene got a scholarship for Marie Curie.ā
At CSM, Marlene was awarded the Marie Curie Scholarship, which is an $80,000 scholarship that goes to academically talented women in science and math fields. As a recipient, Djidjoho also gained access to powerful resources, like free tutoring and in-depth research opportunities.
Once she was landed on CSMās inclusive, active campus, Marlene excelled. In addition to being part of the African American Mentoring program and Leadership Leap, she took on executive roles on the Green Team and the Math and Science Club. As a biology major, she earned the as an INBRE scholar ā a program where she conducted research for disease prevention drugs over the course of two years.
In her four years at CSM, she would also become the recipient and would earn a place on the academic Deanās List. She was also a member of the Student Senate for four years.
āOne of my biggest goals is to always improve, meaning every day I can always be better,ā says Marlene. āThat has pushed me to seek out different opportunities and seek out how to specifically better myself because my ultimate goal is to use those leadership skills and those interactions to be able to help patients in need.ā
Even as an excellent student, she spent college under atypical circumstances. She shared a campus with her mom. Even though Nicole says she was worried being on the same campus might āwreck their relationshipā at first, the duo helped one another succeed.
āEspecially when it came to writing and things, she had more of a difficult time getting it down,ā Marlene explains. āSo, she understood all of her classes better because she had already taken them in French before, but when it came to relating them to English, I could help her with that.ā
Fittingly, the mother-daughter pair that studied together, shared meals, and enjoyed some of the same favorite spaces on campus, will graduate together this Sunday. Marlene will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minors in psychology and chemistry. Nicole will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with a minor in Theology.
In addition to crossing the stage at the same time, the pair will also celebrate the high school graduation of Nicoleās second daughter, Sena. Sena graduated from Mercy High School on May 15th.
All throughout her own journey, Nicole always kept the wellbeing of her children at the forefront. Now, she says graduating at the same time as two of her daughters makes those sacrifices that much more worth it.
āItās not easy, but we did it. We survived,ā says Nicole. āItās a blessing for meā¦I wanted one thing, and I have three things, together.ā
Nicole and Marlene will participate in the CSM Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19th. It will start at 10:30 a.m. in Omahaās CHI Health Center.
