DETROIT – Graduation season is a time to recognize the incredible accomplishments of our kids -- and while it’s a happy time for so many families, the journey to get there can be filled with ups and downs.
Aubrey Vaughn is a teenager overcoming obstacles and taking on responsibilities that would be understandably debilitating sets back for most adults. She is a teenager navigating the rigors of high school while being a mother figure for her younger sisters.
And yet, through it all, she graduated here at Detroit’s Cass Technical High School with honors. She walked across the stage on Tuesday to receive her diploma. This fall, she’ll be stepping onto an Ivy League campus.
Accomplishing the highest of highs while enduring the lowest of lows
Vaughn grew up in a single-parent home with two younger sisters; a happy family of four. Her mother, Valerie, had her hands full raising three busy, beautiful daughters. Life was good.
Then everything changed: Her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. By Vaughn’s freshman year, Valerie was in a brief remission -- then the pandemic hit.
“She was first diagnosed in 2018,” Vaughn said. “She was kind of present and helped me get through my first and second year of virtual school.”
The cancer returned, and their roles reversed. A young Vaughn became a caregiver and parent figure.
“Even though I was taking care of my mom and my sisters, they were kind of like my motivation,” Vaughn said.
She stayed motivated enough to maintain a 4.0 GPA in her classes.
“I knew I just had to work hard for it, and I just put in the work and figured it out with my time management,” Vaughn said.
The teen remarkably embraced the pandemic changes that rocked so many other students, in addition to the flexibility. She’s reflecting on the good during the most painful loss anyone endures in their life.
“My mom, unfortunately, passed away earlier this year,” Vaughn said.
The teen’s mother lost her 5-year cancer fight in January. Vaughn credits her senior year to her village for helping her get here, and her school family.
“I really have a good support system here at Cass,” Vaughn said.
Cass Tech will miss her leadership, as she served on the national honor society executive board and as a student ambassador, tutor, and senior class president.
“I really want to make a change. I feel like each year of our high school experience has been different,” Vaughn said.
So, brilliant Vaughn is headed to an Ivy League college.
“I will be attending Yale University on a full ride majoring in computer science and math,” Vaughn said. “I’m going to miss my sisters but [will I be] homesick? Probably not. I’ve been here my whole life, and I’m like ready to go.”
The teen was offered full-ride scholarships at both Spellman College and Yale. She ultimately chose Yale.