Spotlight on December graduates: Barb Pingitore

December 9, 2012

Barb Pingitore will join her son, Gabe, on December 15, as they both are set to receive a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Barb and Gabe Pingitore Barb and Gabe Pingitore

Hundreds of parents will arrive at the Fieldhouse long before this semester’s commencement ceremony begins.

The reason? They want to get a good seat so they can watch their son or daughter walk across the stage in their cap and gown.

Barb Pingitore is among those parents, but her reason behind an early arrival is entirely different.

Pingitore will join her son, Gabe, on December 15, as they both are set to receive a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan-Dearborn.

“I’m sure it will be a very unique experience,” said Pingitore, who will receive a degree in communication. “When Saturday comes, we’re going to savor that moment.”

Gabe, who plans to receive a finance degree, agrees.

“I am definitely proud of my mom,” he said. “It’s going to be cool to see us both graduate on the same day.”

But their road to commencement was hardly an easy one.

Barb was forced to take care of Gabe and her other son, Spencer, after her husband, Al, passed away. Barb could have broke down, but she knew she had to be a source of strength for her two boys.

“I knew it wasn’t an option to sit in a corner and let life my pass me by,” she said.

She homeschooled her two boys until their senior year of high school, then helped Gabe through the admissions process at UM-Dearborn.

Barb considered a return trip to academia after she learned more about the university’s Student Outreach and Academic Resources (SOAR) program, which increases access to post-secondary education for nontraditional adult learners throughout metropolitan Detroit who endure socioeconomic challenges.

“The SOAR program made the difference between coming back or letting this dream slip away,” Barb said.

She spoke with an admissions counselor and changed her major to communication.

Barb has endured her share of hardships over the past few years, but her determination to complete her degree helped her forge ahead. It didn’t hurt to have Gabe as motivation.

“Barb is a very high-achieving student who gave 110 percent effort in all of her classes, crafting each project and paper with care and attention to detail, in addition to helping two sons navigate through college, running a household and operating on a tight budget during difficult financial times,” said SOAR Director Ellen Judge-Gonzalez.

The payoff comes December 15 when she and Gabe can put on their cap and gown and walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.

“This is really unique and special,” she said.