For years, LaToya Bea Bunns talked about going back to school. With five children, a career, family responsibilities and the many demands of everyday life, there always seemed to be a reason to put that dream on hold. But after the death of her husband in 2023, her children decided it was time for a change.
For Christmas that year, they gave their mom a collection of Rappahannock Community College swag and information about the college, with help from RCC Navigator Krista Hundley.
Their message was simple: they had watched their mom support them through their own educational journeys. Now, it was her turn.
“I had supported them while they got multiple degrees, and they told me it was my turn now,” she said.
So, at age 46, she became an RCC student.
“I knew that my expectations for them were always high, and I needed to follow the same rules,” she said. “I apologized to them the first week because I was like, ‘How did you guys work, play multiple sports, be involved, go to church, volunteer and make good grades while doing this in high school?’”
Her children, she said, were proud of her. They celebrated her accomplishments and reminded her not to be too hard on herself when things became difficult. “For once, I was leading by the example that I set for them,” said Bunns…..
