Chassidy Jackson-Goodwin put her education on hold 19 years ago as she raised her daughter. Her dream has been to one day finish her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She is now a Lincoln Police Officer and her daughter Jaida Jackson is now going to college.
Jaida recently wrote an inspirational letter to Ellen Degeneres about how her mother's financial and personal sacrifices to raise her and send her to college.
Jackson-Goodwin didn’t know at the time that her daughter had sent the letter and that was the reason they received the tickets to the show, which aired on Monday. During the show, the daughter and mom were called up to participate in a game of beer pong with Ellen and Actress Melissa McCarthy.
After winning $7,000, Ellen and McCarthy had a bigger surprise for Jackson-Goodwin. They both told her how inspired they were by her by her story and they handed her three checks totaling $75,000. The internet image-publishing service Shutterfly, McCarthy's new movie "Life of the Party" and McCarthy herself each gave Jackson-Goodwin $25,000.
The money will erase $17,000 in student loans and allow both women to complete their college educations. Jackson-Goodwin is planning on finishing her criminal justice degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Her daughter Jaida is currently working on a marketing and management degree at UNO.