Mother's lessons help twins move toward dreams

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Twins Brandon (left) and Stephen Anderson, 16, say they have been inspired by their mother, Rhonda Lynn Rice, who taught them to work hard for their goals.

   Empowered by their mother's example, 16-year-old twins Stephen and Brandon Anderson are intent on pursuing a dream of their own.
   In 1993, their mother, Rhonda Lynn Rice, enrolled in Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and five years later, she earned her bachelor's degree in education. The divorced mother of three is now eyeing a master's degree in elementary education with special education certification.
   Rice's hard work not only paid off in a degree, but in her twin boys, who plan to study medicine after graduating next year from Miller High School.
   Although fully aware of the years of study and costs their career choice will entail, both say Mom has taught them that only they can limit their potential.
   "When we were in middle school, Mom would be up late studying, books spread out all over the table," Stephen recalled. "Watching her study like that taught us that to become successful and achieve your goals, you have to work real hard."
   And even if that means studying at all hours, Brandon said, hard work does pay off.
   Work pays off
   The twins recently saw their hard work pay off, with their grades and leadership qualities earning them acceptance into the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine July 15-24 in Atlanta. Thirty-four other students from the Coastal Bend are also participating in the forum this summer. The career development program includes visits to cutting-edge medical schools and clinical facilities, as well as on-the-job interaction with doctors, surgeons, researchers, scientists and medical educators.
   But the opportunity to participate in the program came with a price tag. To attend, students have to pay their own transportation and expenses. The cost, however, didn't deter Stephen or Brandon.
   "We had people tell us we wouldn't be able to go because of the expense," Brandon said, "but we did it."
   When word got out that the boys had earned the opportunity to attend, donations from churches, local businesses, alumni associations, family, friends and co-workers came in, enough to pay for both their trips.
   "God sent angels," Rice said. "It's like I've always told my boys, 'If you want to do good in life, good things will happen.'"
   Crediting faith
   Rice, whose two sons and 10-year-old daughter excel in honors classes, credits much of her children's success to faith. "My faith is so strong, no one can beat me down," said Rice, who teaches the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills computer lab at Browne Middle School. "And I always stay involved in what my children are involved in. Not because I have to, but because I want to."
   That parental attention, Brandon said, has made his family rich in spirit.
   "We always keep God first in everything we do," he said. "And that has given us a lot of confidence."
   Rice said her twins have made her proud, describing them as being as much of an inspiration as Stephen and Brandon say their mother has been.
   "I thank God for sending them to me. I would never have made it through life without them," she said. "They were given to me for awhile, but eventually they'll go out into the community to help others."