When Port Gibson native Jasmine Johnson crossed the stage during Alcorn State University’s graduation May 10, her father’s pride was slightly unique compared to the hundreds of other parents at the ceremony.
Johnson’s dad, Perry Hughes, had his reasons for seeing that Saturday as particularly special after receiving his bachelor’s degree in child development — the same degree his daughter received the same day.
“It was a memorable day,” he said. “Everybody was congratulating. At first they didn’t realize we were father and daughter. It was really great.”
Hughes, who first went to Alcorn in 1979 to work on a bachelor’s degree in business but left for a full-time employment opportunity, re-enrolled thirty years later, the same year as his then-18-year-old daughter.
Driven by the opportunity to learn more about the field of childcare and his Port Gibson-based daycare, Little Kids University, Hughes said it was coincidental that he and his daughter ended up enrolled in so many of the same classes.
“I went back because I’m in the childcare business and went back to enhance that,” he said. “When I went back, she came over and changed her major. We actually didn’t talk about it.”
However, the first day in class in which Hughes informed his and Johnson’s peer that the two were related, it wasn’t the easiest situation.
“I think she kind of got embarrassed,” he said while laughing.
“At first I didn’t really take it serious,” she said. “When he ended up at the school, I realized he was serious. Once he enrolled, it was kind of awkward just because I was there with my dad, but was also surrounded by my friends. After a little bit of time went by, everybody kind of grew on it.”
After the initial novelty of sharing classes with a parent, the two became regular study partners, often combining for group grades and exchanging their ideas.
The benefit of having her father in so many classes helped push her, Johnson said.
“It really did increase the accountability between us because, when we’re going to the same class, we didn’t want to see the other doing bad.”
For Hughes, being in a class with his daughter carried a certain amount of responsibility.
“With me being there, it was really good for her because it pushed both of us,” he said. “If she didn’t come to class, I would call and ask where she was. But then, if I’m missing classes, I couldn’t ask her where she was if she missed one. I wanted to make sure to set a good example for her.”
Johnson said they were able to help each other with any areas in which either one struggled.
“We did grow a little closer, but we have always been close,” she said. “I’ve always seen him daily, but to sit in the classroom it did bring us a little closer. There were some things he didn’t understand that I could help with and there were some things I wasn’t as good at that he helped me with.”
Balancing being a peer and a father was a challenge, Hughes said.
“She is my daughter, but she is also a grown young lady over 21,” he said. “I had to take a step back because I kept replaying in mind that I had to treat her as a classmate. She’s not in high school anymore. That was kind of a balancing act.”
Hughes said he was impressed with his daughter’s maturity handling such a unique situation at college.
“Overall, she did very well as far as going to class and respecting me as a father — even though I probably got on her nerves, she still had that respect for me,” he said.
Johnson, now 23, is a teacher at Little Kids University, gaining experience before she takes the Praxis exam — the state’s entry exam for aspiring teachers.
For her part, that awkwardness of the first few weeks is a distant memory.
“It was really a wonderful experience because so many people were encouraged and touched by a father and daughter graduating in the same major,” she said. “It was kind of remarkable. A lot of people were really touched.”