A young woman named Sade Burell has defied the odds to become the first PhD holder in her family after going through the challenges including living in a homeless shelter.

Sade, a single mother of 2 grew up in San Diego’s foster care system. Being the second oldest of seven children the State of California took her and her siblings from their mother and put them in foster care because of their living situations.

She said even when her aunt got them out of foster homes,  she had a social worker pull her out of her aunt’s house and she was placed in another Children’s Center.
– Advertisement –
From the children’s center, Sade said she went to a Juvenile prison and a group home. Her frequent relocations made her go to 5 different elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools.

Sade beat the odds by securing a job, and with the help of Unlimited Potential, a program for foster and at-risk youth, she enrolled at Cuyamaca College. When she aged out of foster care, she lived in transitional housing and then went to a home program that supports students from Foster Care.

“I worked throughout college. I worked at the YMCA. I coached little 3, 4, and 5-year-olds in T-ball, soccer, and things like that,” she said.
–  –
She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from San Diego State University and she went on to earn a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California before proceeding with her PhD.

Sade earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California at San Diego, United States. She mentioned that her purpose for going back to school was inspired by two colleagues.

She stated that she respected their critical thinking and ability to conceptualize complicated ideas which excited her . Sade said she is thankful to her children for standing by her through thick and thin. She said they made many sacrifices without complaint and never made me feel guilty.

Sade said she tried her best to be there for every important moment in their lives, and thankfully, she never missed one.  She said balancing work, home, and school was stressful, but they helped lighten her load.

”Many days I was stressed from working, taking care of our home, and going to school, but you both always tried to lessen my burden. Thank you for your love and support,” she said.

Sade said her goal is to improve the lives of kids who find themselves in foster care to help them get an education and show them- anything is possible. “I would say to my youngest self it will be alright. There will be some trials, a lot of tribulations, and many hardships. But you’re going to make it through,” she said.