Class of 2025: Demond Middleton II still carries his mom’s spirit

By Haley Tenore

For Demond Middleton II, graduation in December will be a full-circle moment. He will receive his bachelor’s in psychology – six years after accepting an accounting degree that Virginia Commonwealth University awarded his mother posthumously. Now, he plans to pursue a career in counseling and help others navigate through grief and mental health struggles.

In December 2019, at age 15, Middleton looked – and was – younger than most VCU graduates that day. He walked across the commencement stage carrying a photo of his mother, who passed away weeks before the ceremony.

Kristy Middleton attended the VCU School of Business as a part-time student while working full-time. She had returned to school after taking time to focus on raising her two sons and building a career, but sickle-cell anemia claimed her in November 2019. She was only 39.

“I was very honored and grateful that VCU allowed me to walk for her and to accept her award,” Middleton said. “I held a picture of her while I was walking on the stage because I couldn’t take her credit. I just wanted to carry her hard work to the finish line.”

He remembered, as a teenager, waking up late at night to see his mother doing homework at the kitchen table. He would help her study by grading her practice tests.

“She wasn’t even supposed to have children. Being able to be a blessing to her, as much as she was a blessing to me, is just a beautiful thing,” Middleton said. “I got to witness how much effort she put into her degree. She served her purpose, and I’m so grateful.”

That purpose included powering her son’s educational journey to VCU, which built on family ties – two of his cousins and his uncle also attended VCU. Middleton said the experience of losing his mother and navigating grief inspired him to study psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

“I didn’t know how to be vulnerable and feel comfortable in my emotions,” he said. “I wanted to go to VCU to study psychology with the hope of becoming a therapist. I just wanted to be in a space where I could help and support those who went through similar experiences, who are having a tough time navigating their emotions and grief. It would be a safe space for those especially in the Black community, because mental health is such a taboo topic in the Black community.”

At VCU, Middleton has been a member of the AYA Research Team, which employs a holistic wellness approach to foster resilience in Black children and families while addressing the challenges of systemic racism.

The recent dean’s list student also received the Principles Scholarship Award from his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., in recognition of his involvement on campus. He recently hosted an event with his fraternity to raise awareness about sickle cell anemia.

Middleton is applying to graduate school and might explore social work programs. He wants to become a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in counseling for Black adolescents and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health in the community.

In his success, Middleton hopes to honor and remember his mother.

“Life after losing her was a new normal that I didn’t want to adjust to,” he said. “I was very scared of the uncertainty of life without my mom. I didn’t believe that there were wins after losing her. … To go to school and to experience being on the dean’s list, and to be a part of a fraternity and meet new people and just having the privilege to be here at VCU, it’s very, very full circle.”