Like daughter, like mom: Roberson girls work it out to graduate together from McMurry

Mandy Roberson looks lovingly at her mother, Melinda, and then calls her insane.

Maybe leaving the IT field after 38 years, taking over a beloved coffee house that had closed and returning to college during a pandemic is crazy.

But what is crazy is how mom sped through her curriculum to log 79 credit hours in 18 months so that she could graduate with that loving daughter Saturday.

Amanda, who goes by Mandy, and Melinda Roberson will accept diplomas one after the other — Mandy first, she noted — from McMurry University in the school's first outdoor graduation at Wilford Moore Stadium. Both will have BBAs in accounting.

"I think my whole family agrees to that," Melinda said of her "insane" decisions to return to school and to catch up to Mandy.

This will make three McMurry grads in the family. Mandy's older brother, Rayce, graduated in 2018.

No, not with an accounting degree. But business, so close.

If you think mom is a bit insane, consider that both women in June will begin their studies toward master's degrees. No break. In fact, they had time this spring term to each take six hours toward graduate work.

Not enough insanity? Mandy lives at home, so she sees mom there, besides having to sit next to her when they had the same class. And Mandy also works evenings at Mezamiz Coffee House, which mom runs.

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Mom was in the news when she took over the coffee haunt on South Seventh. She said she hired good help, which gave her time to focus on her studies. She took 26 hours this spring, including the six toward her master's degree.

She is graduating summa cum laude.

Like her daughter.

Time for a change

In May 2020, two months into a health crisis unlike any in the U.S. in 100 years, Melinda Roberson made a decision.

"I decided I wanted to go to school to get an accounting degree," she said.

When Melinda launched this ambitious ship, she had only 15 hours, taking courses randomly in the 1990s at Cisco College, she said.

She first finished her basics at Cisco, and came to McMurry in January 2021. She now had 47 hours but was a long way from a degree.

Mandy, a 2019 Wylie High graduate, was attending McMurry. She was studying accounting, so was a good year ahead in her coursework.

How did Mandy land on accounting?

"That's a good question," she said laughing. When she was a senior, she was asked about her field of study in college.

"'What are you going to major in?', and I was like, 'I have no idea,'" she said.

A parent suggested accounting, so she signed up for a class.

"And I liked it," she said.

But she doesn't dilly-dally, either. She is getting her degree in three years, helped by earning college credits in high school.

Mom said her daughter's field of study did not influence her choice.

"Coincidence," she said. "But her doing it too inspired me to hurry up and graduate with her and do it together."

That meant making education her priority. Husband Randy, who works at Warren CAT Equipment Rentals, was all in. Though he, too, questioned her sanity.

"He thinks I'm crazy," Melinda said, laughing. Especially taking 26 hours this spring.

"It's only four months," she explained to her family. "Sixteen weeks."

Sounds like an accountant.

Becoming a student again

There were other challenges.

For one thing, Melinda had worked remotely for 12 years, then took her Cisco classes online. It's no wonder she was "terrified" when she actually entered a classroom at McMurry to be a student again.

"I didn't think I'd be able to do it because I hadn't had to show up somewhere for over 12 years," she said. "But I loved it. I actually met people and made some friends."

The welcome "made me want to come," Melinda said.

Mandy said non-traditional students are common at McMurry.

She recalled a freshman-year class when a mom came to class with her baby because she could not find a sitter.

"So I had a class with a baby," Mandy said. "It was kind of cool."

Both Robersons have had classes with military personnel, working in college when not on duty.

"It's not unusual to see anyone older here," Mandy said.

Mom said Mandy wasn't all that excited about her sitting right there next to her.

"When she first found out I was coming to McMurry, she said, 'I am not sitting with you,'" Melinda said, laughing.

"'I don't know you ...," Mandy chimed in. "Every single time, I'd ask, 'Do I have to sit next you?' And she'd say yes."

"OK. As the year went, I said, 'I guess I'm related to you.'"

Mom knew she was being kidded by her loving daughter.

"I think she liked it," Melinda said.

The second challenge was that she had a business to run.

But she had good managers. And Mandy worked there at night. So that worked out.

Were they a team?

Did Mandy also help Mom with classes she already had taken?

"Sometimes," she quipped, looking at her mom.

Mandy said her interest in accounting continued after the first class. There were some tough courses, she admitted.

"Some classes they went over my head," she said.

There were classes that didn't overlap for the two, so Mom was on her own.

One thing Mom didn't do at McMurry was play tennis. Rayce did, and Mandy did her first semester but COVID knocked her off the court. She eventually quit "because I just wanted to focus on school."

Both envision working for CPA firms.

Which is why they are continuing their classwork. They need 150 hours to sit for a CPA exam, Mandy said, and 30 have to be classes that are taught at the master's level.

So, why not go for a master's degree in accounting?

They are not taking off for the summer.

"We are starting June 6," Melinda said.

They both will take two summer courses, and each has an internship lined up — Mandy at Gage and Company and Melinda at Eide Bailly LLP.

Starting with 15 carryover hours, Mom graduates from McMurry with 126 hours. That's 111 hours since she began her quest.

"I really enjoyed the classes," said Melinda, who believes she was a better student this time around.

She is a Cooper High graduate who didn't go to college because she had a job.

"To me, this still is all a dream," Melinda said. "It has been going so fast. I haven't stopped. I've been doing Maymesters, summers ... I've been going full time since May of 2020."

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Like daughter, like mom: Roberson girls graduating from McMurry