Daniel Bethencourt

Detroit Free Press

At Howard University’s commencement speech on Saturday, Ciearra Jefferson listened while the keynote speaker, President Barack Obama, urged seniors like her to keep advocating for change.

Then Obama did something Jefferson didn’t expect: he mentioned her by name, and told the audience about her story growing up on Detroit’s west side.

“People like Ciearra are why I remain optimistic about America,” Obama told the audience. “Young people like you are why I never give in to despair.”

Jefferson, understandably, was overwhelmed.

“When he called my name I just dropped to the floor,” Jefferson said. “I literally fell out of my chair. I was listening so intently that I began to cry. And I began to reflect on what I’ve been through and how far I’ve come.”

Jefferson’s path to Howard was far from easy. While she was growing up, her mother worked 12-hour shifts at an auto plant, seven days a week, to support her and her younger sister. The family moved homes often because of financial trouble.

“I remember crying every day,” she said of her last year. “There were so many times when I felt like I couldn’t go on.”By Jefferson’s senior year, she was waking up at 5 a.m. every day to finish homework at University High School Academy in Southfield.

But then she earned a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship that would let her attend any undergraduate program and certain graduate programs tuition-free. And she was accepted by both Harvard and Howard, among other schools, and chose Howard.

“Looking back, I’m very content on my decision,” Jefferson said, adding: “My grandmother always stressed black excellence and I just knew that if I was ever offered an opportunity then that was where I was going to go.”

Obama: U.S. in ‘better place’ than when he graduated

While at Howard she studied public relations with a minor in public health, worked closely with student government, and also served as a Student Ambassador while sharing her story with prospective students. She was named in the 2015-2016 list of Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.

And now she’s moving back to Detroit to educate residents about public health programs as a community affairs coordinator at the Detroit Medical Center. She said she always wanted to come back because she knew she could help with what she’s learned.

She will also be enrolled in a public health master’s program from Emory University, which allows her to work in Detroit while earning the degree.

Her mother still works 12-hour shifts at the same auto plant, but now works six days a week instead of seven.

Obama praised Jefferson for her fortitude: “She knew that education was her ticket to a better life,” he said. “So she never gave up.”

In the days since the speech, Jefferson has been inundated with supportive calls and texts from friends and acquaintances.

“I want everyone to realize that they don't have to give up,” Jefferson said. “I just live by the mantra that nothing worth having comes easy.”

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: 313-223-4531 ordbethencourt@freepress.com. Follow on Twitter @_dbethencourt.

Watch the president's entire address: