June 3, 2025
Ferris State grad Rashyah Weatherspoon overcomes homelessness to complete Social Work degree, help others overcome challenges
When Rashyah Weatherspoon crossed the stage to receive her Ferris State University diploma, she was celebrating far more than academic success. She was celebrating her survival.
A first-generation college student from Flint, Weatherspoon has endured family instability, expulsion from high school, and even homelessness — all while pursuing a dream to help others through social work.
Rashyah Weatherspoon
“I’m the oldest child and never really knew anybody who went to college. So, I had to figure it all out on my own,” said Weatherspoon, 22, who earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree earlier this month.
She’s never let adversity stand in her way.
After moving to West Michigan at the age of 14, Weatherspoon was expelled from Holland High School her junior year. She found support and guidance at Escape Ministries, a youth center in Holland. Counselors there encouraged her to return to school, where she later earned her diploma and a certification in phlebotomy, all during the pandemic.
Unable to return home because of family struggles and unsure what the future held, Weatherspoon decided to give college a try. Ferris State was the first college to accept her. She arrived on campus in August 2020 with a 2.3 GPA and a lot of determination. By the end of her freshman year, she had earned a 3.0.
But with no financial or emotional support from home, the journey wasn’t easy. The isolation of pandemic life and financial pressure led her to consider leaving school at the end of her first year.
“I was ready to drop out; I actually had all my stuff packed up,” she said.
But then a life-changing call came from Jason Bentley, dean of University College, Ferris’s multidisciplinary college.
“Dean Bentley told me I’d gotten a scholarship from the Mickey Shapiro Opportunity Scholarship at Ferris State for kids who struggle with school but keep working hard,” Weatherspoon said.
The full scholarship covering tuition, room and board was the answer to her prayers. It also gave her the peace of mind to continue her studies.
But her senior year, Weatherspoon once again found herself in crisis.
While attending classes at Ferris State, completing a social work internship in Grand Rapids, and trying to support her ailing grandmother in Flint, she became homeless last winter after another falling out with her family. With no place to go, she loaded her car with her belongings.
For three weeks this winter, she interned during the day at D.A. Blodgett–St. John’s in Grand Rapids, delivered food in the evenings, and worked overnight shifts with at-risk youth — all while living in her car.
“I was sleeping in hotel parking lots, showering at the gym, freshening up at hotel bathrooms,” she said. “After two or three weeks, I really wasn’t myself anymore. But I was only two months away from finishing my degree and internship, so I did what I had to do.”
Help came in the form of Covenant House Michigan, a Grand Rapids emergency shelter for young people aged 18-24.
In March, Covenant House gave her a room where she could finally rest, regroup and focus on finishing her degree.
“They gave me space to breathe,” Rashyah said. “I finally had time to actually put effort into my homework, not just try to get it done before it was due at midnight.
“I don’t think I would have graduated without them because I was emotionally burning out.”
Covenant House leaders were so thrilled with the way Weatherspoon persevered to earn her degree they hosted a graduation party in her honor, complete with a Ferris State class ring engraved with her name and birthstone.
Weatherspoon was very emotional, she said.
“We are all so incredibly proud of Rashyah's accomplishment, tenacity and incredible spirit. She is a treasure to everyone at Covenant House,” said Stacy Datena, senior philanthropy and engagement manager at Covenant House Michigan.
Weatherspoon still lives at the shelter, saving money for her own apartment. She’s also looking for a full-time, bachelor degree-level job in social work.
“I’m really passionate about social work,” she said. “I want to help people the way others helped when I needed it the most.”