Tierra and Tianna Stephens were adamant about not going to the same university. Then, when the 18-year-old twins both decided to go to the University of Oklahoma, they were adamant about not sharing a dorm room.
Now, a couple weeks before classes start, the Young Women’s Leadership Academy graduates are set to be roommates.
“I think that was just God’s way of telling us that we can never separate from each other,” Tierra Stephens said.
For many parents, the emotional and financial challenges of preparing their children to go to college are strenuous. For Tiffany Gates, mother of Tierra and Tianna, the challenge is basically doubled.
Create + Collaborate, a Fort Worth nonprofit providing support and guidance to young adults entering college and adulthood, last year began to see a need to support the parents of incoming university students.
A workshop for parents at their conference in 2025 drew 40 to 50 people, said Ricquel Archer, CEO and founder of the organization. “That’s when we realized parents are going to show up. They want the resources. So how do we build off of that?”
At Create + Collaborate’s annual leadership conference for students last weekend, the nonprofit hosted a concurrent event for parents: the Family Hub. Over the last year, leading up to that event, Create + Collaborate organized meetings with the parents of first-year college students to provide guidance on things such as financial support, mental health, and college and financial aid applications. The work with parents aligned with Create + Collaborate’s mission to improve college retention and completion rates.
The nonprofit’s efforts formed a sort of community, said Gates, which has made her feel more prepared and supported ahead of her two daughters going to college.
“One of the main things I learned was that a lot of the stuff I was feeling is valid,” Gates said. “Just affirming that as a parent — I’m newly divorced, so especially now as a single parent — that I am doing everything I can to aid my child in having the best life possible.”
One topic at the Hub was about how to talk to kids about money, especially regarding the family’s financial situation. The conference also equipped parents with information regarding financial aid and other resources.
Rhoenecia Murkeldove is confident that her daughter is on top of most of the steps she needs to take regarding her university journey. For her, the Hub provided information on how to stay informed.
“I wasn’t able to go to college, so there’s a lot of stuff that I don’t know that Trinity does know,” Murkeldove said. “Me coming here and finding out, ‘You need to make sure you do this and you need to make sure to do that’ has helped me a lot.”
Because all Create + Collaborate students are first-generation, many of them have to educate their own parents on university life — from FAFSA applications to the realities of employment as a college student.
The Family Hub is useful for the students, by ensuring that the burden of educating parents on the university experience isn’t exclusively on them.
For Tierra and Tianna Stephens, this is a “little bit of stress” off of them.
“She’s a warrior. Preparing for college is a lot, and she’s doing it twice at one time,” Tianna said about her mother. Talking to other parents who are having similar experiences “she knows what she’s feeling is normal,” she said.
Gates said the nonprofit has been an invaluable tool for both her and her daughters.
“It’s motivated me to go back and finish my degree,” she said. “It’s not only for our kids, but it’s become a support for families as well.”
Ismael M. Belkoura is the nonprofit editor for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from North Texas Community Foundation. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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