How One Coppin Student Turned Hardship Into Purpose Through Social Work

After overcoming homelessness, loss, and years away from school, Ayreonna D. Terry is graduating from Coppin State University determined to help others rebuild their lives. 

Ayreonna D. Terry 

Major: Social Work 
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland 

As Ayreonna D. Terry prepares to walk across the commencement stage at Coppin State University, she carries with her more than a degree. She carries years of sacrifice, perseverance, and faith that helped transform some of the hardest moments of her life into purpose. 

Raised in Baltimore by her godparents, Terry learned early the value of resilience and determination. But her path to graduation was far from traditional. 

As a teenager, she became a mother while navigating significant personal challenges. At 19, she experienced the devastating loss of the godmother who had raised her, a moment that changed the course of her life and forced her to step away from college. 

What followed were years of struggle as she worked to support her son while facing homelessness and instability. 

“There were moments when giving up would have been easier,” Terry says. “But I knew I had to keep pushing for my children and for the future I wanted to build.” 

Today, Terry is a proud mother of three who balanced full-time work, motherhood, volunteer service, and college coursework while earning her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Coppin. 

Along the way, she remained deeply connected to her community through volunteer work with youth athletes and the Columbia Ravens, helping mentor and encourage young people facing challenges of their own. 

Her experiences helped shape her passion for social work and advocacy. 

“Everything I’ve gone through showed me how important it is for people to feel supported and seen,” she says. “I want to be the person who helps others realize their circumstances do not define their future.” 

After graduation, Terry plans to pursue her Master of Social Work at Barry University, where she hopes to continue preparing for a career focused on empowering underserved communities and supporting families in crisis. 

For Terry, commencement represents more than an academic milestone. 

“It means I survived every obstacle that tried to stop me,” she says. “This degree is proof that healing, growth, and purpose are possible.”