Cebrina Douse Lilly doesn’t know the meaning of giving up. After almost 17 years, she graduated from FAMU last December.
KARIN DAVIS-THOMPSON | Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG — It took almost 17 years, but Cebrina Douse Lilly finally saw her dream of a college diploma become a reality. On Dec. 15, 2023, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on education and psychology from Florida A&M University (FAMU).
After facing homelessness in the St. Petersburg area, she raised enough money to buy one-way bus tickets for her and her daughter and headed to Tallahassee. She started her degree years earlier at FAMU but didn’t complete her studies.
“Life happened — challenges, hardship; I wasn’t able to finish,” Lilly said.
She is the first of her siblings to complete a college education. Going back meant more than enrolling and finding a way to make ends meet; it meant facing her fears and doubts about her ability to finish what she’d started so many years earlier.
“I knew as a learning-disabled student, I learn differently from other students,” the 35-year-old said. “I knew I had to put in the work. I wanted to be a testament that even as a learning-disabled student, you can still make it.”
Lilly said the road was challenging, especially arriving in Tallahassee with no family and no place to stay. However, she found support at the school and the FAMU Foundation to help with tuition and took advantage of the support student services offered.
“I had to learn to advocate for myself,” she said. “You have to do that, even if agencies advocate for you too. I wrote out my plan, executed it and took advantage of the services offered.”
Now, she is preparing for her next adventure, hoping to begin a master’s degree program in clinical social work.
She said she hopes her journey and story will inspire others to know that no matter the odds or what others might think, anyone can achieve what their heart desires if they don’t give up, even when it seems daunting.
“Going back to school, you don’t realize the times you will have to go without and sacrifice to study,” Lilly explained. “I had to sometimes move away from friends and people that weren’t believing my success. I want people to know that you can make it and be a success no matter what it looks like.”
And while she wants this message to resonate with anyone needing a little inspiration, she hopes her daughter receives that message most of all. She loved seeing the pride in her eyes on graduation day.
“She was so proud of me,” Lilly revealed. “To see her mom get her degree, that I am able to take the projects I work on and help other people. My degree opens up the door to so many opportunities. Now, she is inspired to look at colleges and is thinking about her future from watching Mommy.”
Along with preparing for a master’s degree program, Lilly has been recording her journey on her blog, where she talks about it and why it was essential to make her college degree a reality. She is also working on several passion projects, including a homeless ministry.
To learn more about Lilly’s journey, check out her blog at www.cebrinawithac.com.
