Kanett Haynes is a mom of four children – Xzavier, Charity, Harmony and Jimmy. She is also a proud and happy mom who is celebrating the remarkable achievement of all her kids graduating this year from different levels of education. From medical school to high school, her kids have shown hard work, perseverance and resilience in their academic journeys.

Kanett Haynes and her family moved from Florida to South Carolina in 2007, hoping to find better opportunities and a more comfortable life for themselves. They settled in Roebuck, a small town near Spartanburg, where they found jobs, a home and a supportive community. Haynes said that the move was a leap of faith that paid off for her family.

“The children got opportunities that they probably would not have gotten where we were living in Florida … different growth opportunities, different leadership opportunities,” Haynes said. “The blessings just fell on them.”

Her eldest son, Xzavier Killings, 29, is graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on May 20. He is an aspiring pediatrician who received an athletic scholarship to play football, basketball and track in college. He said that his mom instilled in him and his siblings the values of hard work and perseverance.

“It feels surreal,” Killings said. “I’m thankful for my mom, for instilling us the values of hard work, perseverance, and having the opportunity to enjoy with my siblings, to be in this grind, the adversity that we’ve faced, through a pandemic, through all the challenges, but still having the resiliency to continue has been really special for me and my family.”