When Laura Vaughters crossed the stage to receive her business certificate from the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business, it marked not just an academic milestone, but years of resilience and love.
“For some, a one-year certificate might not seem like a huge achievement,” said Vaughters, who entered postsecondary with a grade 8 education. “For me, it represented nearly four years of perseverance, growth, and determination.”
Her path to graduation was far from typical. Having lost her mother at a young age, Vaughters spent her teenage years helping raise her younger siblings on the prairies instead of finishing high school.
“While most teenagers were graduating high school and preparing for university, I was raising my younger siblings,” she recalled. “I never earned my high school diploma and for a long time, I doubted whether I was capable of pursuing higher education at all.”
Years later, after getting married and having her first child, she decided to apply to university based on her life experience — and the University of Saskatchewan accepted her. Studying remotely while caring for a toddler, Vaughters soon learned she was expecting again.
“I’ll never forget writing my finals while feverish and nauseous,” she said. “But I pushed through.”
After taking time away to focus on her family, she returned to finish what she had started — studying between naps, bedtime routines, and household chores.
“What should have been a one-year certificate took me almost four, but every step was worth it,” she said.
Having now graduated, Vaughters said her achievement meant far more than a credential — it was a symbol of perseverance.
“While my peers may have been graduating with degrees, I graduated with pride,” she said. “The perseverance it took to reach this point means more to me than any title or award ever could.”
For Vaughters and her family, the future looks very bright.