Fathers and daughters share many milestones throughout their time as a family. From daddy-daughter dates to the father-daughter dance at a wedding, that bond is built through sharing many of life’s big moments.
Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) graduates Tim and Isabelle Meyer, father and daughter, were able to share a special milestone that many parents and their children don’t get to accomplish together: graduating college.
At EKU’s fall commencement, Tim walked across the stage to graduate during Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. ceremony, and Isabelle followed shortly thereafter at the 7:30 p.m. ceremony. Now, they will forever share a bond as part of EKU’s Class of 2024.
While Isabelle’s journey with EKU has been more traditional, Tim’s journey originally started in the 1980s.
Tim, who is technically a first-generation college graduate, paused his education to pursue a career and start a family with his college sweetheart and wife, Valerie, who he met during his time at EKU.
“We moved to Louisville and got married, and so at that point, I transferred my credits and started taking classes at the local community college,” he said. “All the way up to about 1999, I was taking a couple classes here and there, but eventually I ran out of classes to take. Basically, there were no online classes at that time, so I was either going to have to quit my job and try to go back to Richmond to finish, or just move on with my career.” Later though, the abundance of online programs now available through EKU made both finishing his degree and continuing his career possible.
Though Tim is a first-generation college graduate, Isabelle continued a longstanding family tradition when she graduated from EKU, becoming a fourth-generation Colonel. Her mother’s side of the family has been part of the Colonel Family for nearly 100 years. Isabelle said she is proud to be part of her family’s long history with EKU.
“I love that I have been able to continue my family’s legacy,” said Isabelle. “I feel like there are many families at Eastern who have multiple generations of graduates. That’s something special about EKU that I think is different from other places.”
She added that EKU always felt like the correct choice for her, and that it felt like home.
“Something just felt right about being a Colonel!” she said. “It was the perfect size school, and it just seemed like a place that I could call home.”
Tim said it has been an honor to share the college experience with Isabelle. Although he has been an online student while Isabelle has been on-campus during her time, he has enjoyed watching her get to share some of the experiences he and his wife had when they first attended EKU.
“She has really made the most of her time in college,” he said. “My wife was in the ADPi (Alpha Delta Pi) sorority, and Isabelle was also an ADPi. She was also on the Homecoming Court. She’s been a great student.”
With Tim and Isabelle having officially graduated on Dec. 5, the father-daughter pair continues a well-established family legacy at EKU, while also creating their own, unique story. Tim graduated with a bachelor’s degree in general studies, and Isabelle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education.
By Ethan Sirles
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