The Millers mastered it together

Lashawndla Bailey-Miller beamed with great pride as she watched her loving husband, Kevin, walk the stage to receive his master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management from The University of the West Indies, Mona campus. But, she wasn’t the only one celebrating. Kevin also lauded his beautiful wife for completing her master’s in public history and Caribbean heritage from the same university. Today, the two shared just how they ‘mastered it’ as a married couple.

“We did not graduate on the same day. Our ceremonies were held 24 hours apart. Lashawndla decided not to attend her ceremony. Despite deciding not to walk, we are proud of our accomplishments; the sleepless nights and all-nighters on campus paid off. We just want to set great examples for our sons,” Kevin said.

For Lashawndla, juggling school, work and family was rough. “For us, getting our master’s degree together is a symbol of perseverance; we can do whatever we decide to.”

Family members and friends shared hearty congratulations on this great joint accomplishment. “They are happy that we were able to show determination and master it,” he added.

The couple initially connected online in the Go-Jamaica chat room during the summer of 2007. On their second in-person encounter, they decided to go with the flow and see where it would lead. Their journey unfolded into a romance, and after welcoming their first son in 2012, the duo exchanged vows later that same year.

This master’s experience wasn’t the first time the pair had studied together. Earlier, they pursued their bachelor’s degrees simultaneously, embarking on their academic journey in 2007. During this period, Kevin was enrolled in an associate’s degree programme at the University College of the Caribbean, while Lashawndla was pursuing her bachelor’s degree in education at The Mico University College.

“For the bachelors, it was only us. We were both young and ambitious and thought that having a degree was necessary to prepare us for life. We had time and ambition and thought it was cool to get our degrees together,” Kevin said.

Lashawndla chimed in with this fun fact: “We didn’t actually decide to do our masters together. We started our bachelors together and finished 11 years apart. Because of life’s challenges, Kevin didn’t complete his studies in business administration until 2020.”

She also became candid about her own moment of regression. “In 2014, I felt ambitious and ventured on a journey to do a master’s of arts degree in heritage studies. Life got in the way and a depressive episode ensued, probably the worst I have experienced, which took over my world. This was an ambitious dream in the middle of the second semester.” Patiently waiting for the right moment to be mastered, she resumed the journey in 2022.

Furthermore, in 2015, the teacher by profession bid farewell to her decade-long career and opted to pursue a new entrepreneurial passion, one that would manifest in the creation of stunning jewellery. In December 2015, Inzzpire365 was born.

Speaking of births, Lashawndla and Kevin are proud parents of two boys, Kahlil and Kaiden. As they navigated through their master’s journey together in 2021, their sons were already having their fair share of experiences that demanded their parents’ full support.

“We have two sons, 13 years and four years old. In the academic year 2021 to 2022 when we both decided to take on our studies, the older of the two was preparing for PEP exams and secured a place at Campion College. Also at this time, our younger child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and we had to secure help for his special needs,” she revealed.

Studying online during the heights of the pandemic proved to be ideal for the working parents. But, then came the world’s reopening to the return of face-to-face classes.

“We now had to coordinate school pickups with our sons while getting to our own classes on time. The boys and I were at UWI three evenings each week waiting for Lashawndla’s class to end at 8 p.m. On Sundays, I had school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m,” she told The Gleaner.

With two parents studying, one managing an office and the other managing a business, achieving the right career, school, family and life balance was difficult, but this married couple made it work.

Kevin actively participated in class discussions, aiding him in grasping the concepts and alleviating stress when exam time approached. On the other hand, Lashawndla, who was not a fan of tests, was delighted that her programme was predominantly research-based and did not involve exams.

Now that they have completed their degrees, the husband-and-wife duo isn’t looking to pursue any formal schooling for the near future. “We will continue to grow in our professional fields as well as deepen our entrepreneurial ventures at Inzzpire365 and GoShore Couriers Limited, and of course continue to navigate life together and lend each other the support as needed,” the entrepreneurs said.

Their advice to those seeking to pursue their master’s degree as a couple is to just do it. “Start and be each other’s support along the way, exercising patience and understanding,” Lashawndla said.

Kevin added, “If you really want to do it, you can. Perseverance and dedication is the key to accomplishing any task and there is a reward at the end that benefits the work that was done.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com