VIRGINIA BEACH
Barbara Jean Humes will graduate from high school today, along with 100 or so classmates at Open Campus. The occasion will be filled with pomp, but hers did not come without circumstance.
Humes' grandmother will sit proudly in the audience at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, clicking photographs with two cameras. Her mother and brother won't be there, though. Both are behind bars. "I don't know how I got through it," Humes, 19, said. "I just did it."
Big brother Bernard had always watched out for her. He taught her about life and never steered her in the wrong direction, she said.
But Bernard was arrested for stealing video games, cellular phones and cash with two other boys in 2005.
Humes went to his sentencing and sat a few feet away from him when the judge gave Bernard a 47-year sentence.
But that wasn't the end of the trouble.
She couldn't bring herself to go to court last week when her mother, Marketta Jones, was sentenced for shooting a man who tried to steal a gun from her. That incident happened about three months after Bernard was sentenced.
On the day before Humes' last day of school, Jones was ordered to serve 33 years.
"No one wants to see their family in the system," Humes said. "It really bothers me. It still bothers me. It's not really going to change anything. I have to go on with my life."
She enrolled at Open Campus about midway through her sophomore year at Princess Anne High School. She said she was a "slacker" and needed to catch up.
"I kept encouraging her," said Barbara A. Humes, the grandmother who woke her up each morning and is proud of her achievements. "She has been through a whole lot, and she still made it. She's going to be OK."
Humes says she is nervous about graduating, which will happen at 7 p.m. today, but understands she'll have more opportunity with a high school diploma than without one.
What's next, she hasn't decided. She will find a job this summer, and maybe become a dental assistant.
"I'm so excited," she said. "A lot of stuff has been going on, and I'm just ready to graduate, to try not to let other people's actions determine my actions and decisions. I finally did it."
Duane Bourne, (757) 222-5150, duane.bourne@pilotonline.com
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Great Example
This young woman is a great example of what you can do if you have a goal and want to achieve it, despite your circumstances. Congratulations, Ms. Humes! May God bless you as you begin a new phase of your life.
Congrats
to Ms. Humes! Way to hang in there and persevere in the face of family trouble! You should be excited and proud of yourself! I wish you success and hope that you avoid the pitfalls of many a young person these days! Hold your head up and keep looking to the heavens...God has a blessing for you. Reach out and claim it! May you find happiness and success in your next leg of the journey!
???
47 years for stealing games and phones and 33 years for killing someone robbing you? Something seems fishy here... Are we leaving some details out to try to make this a happier story?
Barbara! Congratulations!!!! Keep Moving Forward
What a huge accomplishment Barbara. Keep moving forward; setting goals and achieving them is a personal challenge. Constantly challenge yourself and always put your best foot forward to accomplish your goals. Don't ever let circumstances hold you down. I too look forward to hearing about your success ten years from now.
Well Done!!
Be sure and speak with a counselor at TCC as soon as possible. You can get started on the road to Dental Assistant and still have plenty of options for later in life if you decide there is something else you want to do. The Dental Assistant program is two years if I'm not mistaken, check with a counselor and find out!! Don't put off moving forward you are one stand out citizen!
Also check with Financial Aid there may be some special aid to students whose parents are incarcerated.
You are Awesome!!
Keep Going
Good on ya. Keep up the good work and stay away from the darkside.
Congratulations,Barbara !
Congratulations Barbara !! If I was a winner of the lottery,you are just the type of person I would help ! God bless you ! Keep on working hard ! I hope the Virginian Pilot does a follow up story in 10 years so we can hear about your success !
I think we're missing part of the story here
(What's wrong with our justice system)
I don't think we've been privided with all of the details here. Since when is stealing worth 47 years in prison? Is that a typo?
It's nice to see that she's trying, but lets see if she tries to make use of her diploma and go on to college. Let's see if her diploma is an actual measurement of her achievement or just a piece of paper with her name on it.
Congrats
Glad to see something positive come out of your situation. You could have gone in the other direction and used your circumstance as an excuse to not graduate. You're a role model for others facing adversity in this cold cruel world.