KOKOMO, Ind. - If you're looking for a comeback story this Commencement season, look no further than Jaeden Brown.

Brown graduates in May with a degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, after a fresh start with Indiana University Kokomo and IU Online. She'd previously started her college degree right out of high school but floundered, and ended up dropping out with plans to come back at some point.

Becoming a mother three and a half years ago gave her a reason to try again.

"Once I had him, I realized I need to do something to create a better life for him," said Brown, from Peru. "People ask me how I do it. It's exhausting, but it's so easy when you love what you're doing and who you do it for. It's for me and for my son. When it's exhausting and I feel I can't write another paper, I look at him and where I am and where I was, and it makes it a lot easier."

Next up is her required test to become a Certified Public Accountant, with plans to continue working for Comerford & Company in Peru.

The comeback is bittersweet, however, as her husband unexpectedly died shortly before she began her classes. That tragedy nearly derailed her return to college, but she decided since she was raising Samuel alone, her degree would be even more important.

"I was supposed to start classes that summer, but he passed away in April, and I couldn't do it," she said. "My academic advisor, my therapist, and my family all said nobody would blame me if I put it off, but I was afraid if I did that, I wouldn't go back. I just did it that fall, and I'm very glad I did."

She and Samuel had a village surrounding them, making it possible for her to continue working full time and take classes as she could fit them around their schedules.

"My grandparents helped out a lot, and my mother, and my mother-in-law," she said. "I have siblings who help, and they love my son nearly as much as I do."

Brown admits to being nervous about going to college online, but found it worked for her.

"I was very scared," she said. "I had taken a few online classes, and I really thought the only way I'd be able to learn was in a classroom setting. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The way the professors set it up there is a lot of interaction with other students. It wasn't just 'Here's the assignment, here's a power point, good luck.' It wasn't like being in person, but they made it as close to that as possible."

She took 18 credit hours per semester, which meant a lot of late nights after Samuel's bedtime.

"I'd put him to bed and then I'd be up until 3 a.m. doing homework," she said. "It was more important to me to make sure I got work done than to sleep. When I had exams, we would go to my grandparents' house so I could be around him, but someone else could watch him. It allowed me to focus on my school but have time with him."

In her previous college experience, Brown had been pre-med but learned she didn't like biology. She chose business administration for its versatility. Her job with the CPA firm allowed her to see what she was learning in real life.

"Getting to do it hands-on really solidified this is where I'm meant to be," she said.

With confidence from completing her bachelor's degree, she plans to continue on with IU Kokomo's Master of Business Administration program in the future, after she passes her CPA exam.

She looks forward to participating in the May 14 Commencement ceremony, and having her son see her accept her diploma.

"This has been a personal goal since I was young," Brown said. "I always dreamed of graduating from college. While this is not the timeline I ever saw for myself, and there were a lot of trials and tribulations to get to this point, it means everything. It meant working hard even in the face of loss and exhaustion and grief, knowing I did it to better my life and better my son's life. It truly is everything to me."

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.