Single mom of 5 passes bar exam in Texas

A single mother of five whose law school graduation photographs went viral in April passed the Texas bar, KTRK reported.

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Ieshia Champs, 33, graduated from Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She posed in a graduation photo, dressed in her cap and gown, with her children, holding a sign that said "I did it." Her children surrounded her and held signs that included messages like "I helped," "Me too," "I helped too," "I did too," and "We did it," KPRC reported.

Champs also holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston, the television station reported.

She posted the news of passing the bar on Facebook, writing, "God you did that! I'm still shouting!"

It is a major triumph for Champs. A fire destroyed all of her possessions in 2009 and she lost her job, KTRK reported. She lost the father of two of her children when he died of cancer while she was seven months pregnant, the television station reported.

Champs told KPRC she once tried to take her own life. But now, she will be looking for a job with a law firm or in government, with ultimate goals of opening her own firm and becoming a federal judge.

“Don’t let your current situation determine your future circumstances,” Champs told the television station. “I honestly believe people can make their struggles into their success story. … If God can do it for me, he can do it for someone else.”

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