亚洲AV

Mother and daughter graduates say Mason education is a family affair

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three women outside
Mason clinical nursing instructor Kathleen Chang (center) is sharing her graduation day with daughter Jinlee (right). Daughter Katrina (left) graduated from Mason in 2017 and is graduating from Virginia Tech this month with a doctoral degree. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

and her daughter Jinlee Colucci-Chang say that graduating from 亚洲AV at the same time is exciting and a little overwhelming. Jinlee鈥檚 sister, Katrina Colucci-Chang, is also finishing up her doctorate in biomedical engineering from Virginia Tech this spring.

Interviewed with her daughters by her side and her husband listening from the next room, Chang said they are a self-described 鈥淢ason family.鈥

Katrina graduated Mason in 2017 with a degree in before pursuing her doctorate.

Chang, a clinical nursing instructor in the , is graduating with a .

Jinlee graduates with a degree in with a concentration in drawing and a minor in . She鈥檚 headed in the fall to George Washington University for a master鈥檚 degree in art therapy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot happening at once,鈥 said Chang, 66. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of my girls. They are my biggest accomplishment, and what does every parent want but for their children to get their educations? Now the world is open to them.鈥

mother and daughter by the pond
Kathleen Chang and her daughter Jinlee are both earning degrees at Mason's Spring Commencement. Photo by Evan Cantwell / Creative Services

But Chang鈥檚 daughters say they are equally proud of their mother for pursuing her doctorate after raising them and teaching, first part-time and then full time.

鈥淚 think what we鈥檝e learned from her is that you can do anything if you set your mind that you want to do it,鈥 said Jinlee, 23. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the hardest right before the finish line, especially at her age, no offense, but she did it. We were telling her that she could do it, encouraging her. It鈥檚 been amazing to see her pursue and then accomplish her dream.鈥

Decades ago, Chang graduated with a degree in nursing from Long Island University and a master鈥檚 degree from Columbia University Teacher鈥檚 College. She worked a variety of jobs both in New York and then in Puerto Rico, where she moved with husband, Jose Colucci-Rios. They raised their daughters. They didn鈥檛 think of moving back to the mainland until Katrina started looking at colleges.

鈥淜atrina was the catalyst,鈥 Chang said. 鈥淵ou know how a mother is. I wasn鈥檛 going to have her across an ocean.鈥

While the rest of the family moved to Fairfax, Katrina went to college in North Carolina, then transferred to Mason to be closer to family and because she thought it would be a better fit for her. All three women talked about their love for Mason.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 the diversity that makes it special,鈥 Jinlee said. 鈥淚 learn the stories of so many different people with so many different perspectives.鈥

Chang said the support Mason offers is unique, while Katrina said the location, near Washington, D.C., and culture is what makes it special.

At first, they hadn鈥檛 expected all their graduations to be at once, but now they鈥檙e trying to enjoy the chaotic drama and joy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 surreal having all of us graduating at the same time,鈥 said Katrina, 27. 鈥淚 am still trying to grasp it.鈥