PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Dec. 10, 2025) – Sylvia Sydney Bridges calls herself the “non-traditional student.”
Two years ago, she arrived at Prairie View A&M University to restart her academic journey.
She says she never imagined herself at Prairie View, let alone a historically Black college and university (HBCU).
“I was going through a lot in life, and I kept telling myself that I wanted to return to college, but I had no idea how to make it happen,” Bridges said.
But a friend, another PVAMU student, had told her about PVAMU, really believing it was the right place for her.
“The way he talked about his experiences, the opportunities he was getting, and the growth he was seeing in himself, made me feel like maybe this could be my next step too,” she said.
She took that fateful step, and on Dec. 13, Bridges will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in social sciences. From the South Side of Chicago, Bridges will be the first in her family to graduate from college.
For a kid from the South Side, an impoverished part of Chicago known for its high crime rates, to graduate is a “miracle,” she says.
“It is not designed for Black people to succeed organically,” she said. “I have friends who have never seen their 18th birthday–their parents will never have grandkids. So being from the South Side of Chicago, graduating from college as a first-generation student is more than a blessing; it’s a miracle.”
That is why representation is her driving force in life.
“Visibility matters, and I know that every part of who I am speaks to somebody: being Black, being from Chicago and the Midwest, being a plus-size woman, being a first-generation student, being an HBCU student, and being someone who had to build her own path,” Bridges said.
She is proud of those layers, and she aims to create content that reflects who she is and what she believes in.
“At the end of the day, I want my work to show people who look like me, who come from where I come from, that they belong in these spaces, too,” Bridges said. “My goal is to influence through authenticity, to create content that feels real, and to be the type of personality whose presence alone opens doors for others.” Her ultimate career goal is to stay connected to the community.
On campus, Bridges has fully immersed herself in Panther pride, calling Homecoming, that full “Sunday-to-Sunday” experience, her favorite memory.
She has also been active in PVUKNO radio, KPVU-TV, NABJ, Pretty Ladies Unique Shape, The Chicago Club, National Organization of Out-of-State Students, Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society, and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society.
“Radio and digital media have always felt like the perfect bridge between storytelling and impact, and that is the space where I see myself thriving,” Bridges said. “I absolutely want to be a radio personality, but I’m also realistic about how the industry is shifting. Having a digital presence matters just as much today, and becoming a strong digital personality is something I fully embrace.”
As a transfer student, she started at PVAMU as a second-semester sophomore. Then, she experienced a series of personal losses–her aunt in 2022, her grandmother in 2023, and her mother a few months later.
Without her immediate family to see that once non-traditional student from the South Side of Chicago succeed, graduation is bittersweet, Bridges said.
“I am the first in my immediate family to earn a college degree, but I no longer have any immediate family members physically here to celebrate with me,” she said.
But still, she has her extended family and her friends, especially Justin Collins, who brought her to Prairie View. “They would have wanted me to keep going, to finish, and to build a life that honors who they were. Graduation means continuing their legacy and giving myself something to keep living for.”
So, Bridges tells Prairie View students: Don’t stop.
Her own journey started in 2013. Over a decade later, she is finally getting her degree.
“It took time, breaks, setbacks, and restarts, but I never stopped,” she said. “Even if you have to step away for a moment or go to a community college in between, do what you need to do, but do not quit on yourself. The goal is to be successful, whatever that looks like for you.”
Click here to view a complete listing of this semester’s notable graduates.
By Christine Won
-PVAMU-