Ms. Tyeast Frank
Bachelor of Science in Education
with emphasis in Speech Language
Pathology and Audiology
Congratulations on your graduation, Tyeast
and on a job well done!
We are VERY proud of you!!
Read Tyeast's story below.
Client’s Story of Triumph after Tragedy
After being thrown out of a car on the Dan Ryan expressway, cheated on, abused mentally and physically by my ex-husband, I was ready for a change. I moved from a big city to an unknown town. A single parent of three children ages 9, 4 and 2. The move was truly an act of faith. I packed up a Budget moving truck and started my journey. The university had many welcoming activities that I participated in to help familiarize myself with the campus and classes. For example, there was a “Check Your Class” day, which provided an opportunity for new students to see where each of their classes were actually located. This helped in many ways. Once I started classes, the instructors made themselves available also. My children have benefited from living on a college campus in many ways. There is a family resource center located in the middle of the Family Housing Units. The FRC offered “Kids Night Out”, after school care and weekly study time. All of these programs help the parent and the children. This program allows parents to study, rest, or have an outing. The university understands that being a parent is just as much a task as attending school. The change has paid high returns and is still paying off. My oldest son is attending one of the best school systems in the state and I love the diversity exposure.
We often receive financial support and spiritual encouragement from WellSpring Center For Hope in Chicago, which has been phenomenal about supporting me in my decision to go away to college. WellSpring keeps us in mind daily and during the holidays. We have received a computer, which has eliminated having to take my children with me to the computer lab. They have also provided my family with clothes and school supplies. WellSpring is a Center For Hope for battered women, but they also have a lot of faith in a single parent like me. I would tell any single parent or battered woman, it would be a lifetime reward to change the environment you have become comfortable in and seeking help is ok. One can do anything if they have faith. The first step is to believe it is possible and then the manifestation is soon to follow. I am a living witness that positive change can happen by changing your surroundings and your environment.
I feel empowered and I am willing to be a role model for anyone who is willing to listen. I still have financial limitations, starting over was not easy but leaving my comfort zone is one of the best things I have ever done for me and my family. Inspite of all that I’ve come through, I am a full time student attending an university. My grade point average is 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. I have received two scholarships (Johnetta Haley Scholarship $1300 & Bessie Davis Scholarship $1700) and I’m currently on the National Dean’s List and listed with the “Who’s Who list of College Students of America”. WellSpring helped me to actualize the power I had within. I remember in a group session being told to journal and write down what I wanted out of life. I did just that and like a miracle, everything I wrote down, I now have. I still have my green journal from Wellspring and keep it to remind me of where I came from and the progress I have made. I had all the odds against me but through support from the Lord, family, friends, and self-determination I was able to break the cycle of violence and now live the healthy and happy life my family deserves.
