At the age of 11, Nadene Chambers with her sister, Odette, moved from their native Jamaica to the United States to join their mother and begin a new life in Brooklyn, New York.

Her mother was single with less than a high school education, working as a family’s domestic employee. Despite a meager salary, she wanted to give her children educational opportunities that would lead to success.

Chambers recalls her mother’s rationale for living in a tiny apartment. “She said, ‘We’re going to live in the best neighborhood that we could possibly live in. I want you to see progressive people. I want you to see other people succeed and I want you to go to a good school.’”

The odds seemed stacked against Chambers, a black woman, born in a different country, daughter of a single mother, from a low-income background.

Chambers could have ended up a statistic. And she did.

This spring, Chambers will be one of a few women to receive a doctoral degree in computer science. Hers will be from DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media.

“My mom will be so proud to know that I went from being one potential statistic to another one. And the statistic that I am now is a darn good one,” she said. “I’m glad to be of that tiny little percentage — a rounding error — of black women who graduated with Ph.D.s. The number is tiny, but good.”

Currently a tenure-track instructor at Governors State University in health care information technology, Chambers chose DePaul’s computer science doctoral program for its practitioner-oriented focus, its flexibility and its contemporary feel.

At DePaul, Chambers credits her perseverance to the collegial relationships she developed with other women in the program and her college advisor, Linda Knight, whom she called supremely inspirational.

“I gave her an engraved apple thanking her for all her efforts in getting me here. Having a female advisor, in and of itself, is a great motivational tool for another woman.”

“Nadene is a wonderful example of a DePaul graduate student because she coupled her dream of advanced education with the determination and persistence needed to make that dream a reality. She truly is an example of DePaul's finest,” said Knight.

The journey Chambers took to complete her doctorate spanned an arduous eight years, but she said she would not have wanted it to do it in less time because of the trade-offs that could have affected her marriage or her mental health. She knew she had no excuse not to reach her goal. After all, her mother raised two daughters, worked full-time, earned her GED diploma and went on to become a licensed practical nurse.

Once Chambers walks across the stage at commencement, she will have earned her fourth and final degree. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health administration and a second master’s degree in computer information systems. “I’m done with formal education,” she said. “This is a dream fulfilled.”

Written by Maria Toscano