Rachel Johnson and Brittany Gaines, daughters of Newton and Barbara Crawford of Cabool earned master’s degrees this past December. The sisters are the eldest of 10 siblings, all graduates of Houston High School.
Graduating with a 4.0 grade point average, Johnson received a master’s degree in fine arts in creative nonfiction writing from Murray State University in Murray, Ky. This past July she successfully defended her thesis, a memoir, “Curly-Headed Goddess,” and shared selections from her essay, “Women of My Childhood,” at a Murray State reading. While working toward her master’s degree, she home schooled her two daughters, Alexia and Alaina, and worked as an online tutor for the University of Missouri and an English as a second language instructor at Donnelly College in Kansas City. Since moving to Florida, she has accepted jobs teaching composition and literature at Brevard Community College and composition at Florida Tech.
Also earning a 4.0 grade point average, Gaines graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield with a master’s degree in secondary counseling and certification as a secondary educator. Juggling childcare, classes and internships, she worked part-time at Friday’s while she completed the expected five-year program in two-and-a-half years. She is seeking a position as a middle or high school counselor while she continues her postgraduate education with the goal of becoming certified as school psych examiner. Gaines lives in Springfield with her husband, Mark, and her 4-year-old son, Sean.