We are what we know’

“If there is life after death, would it be true that the only thing we’d take with us is all that we know?” Shelly Brady, a New York Times bestselling author, pondered in a recent e-mail interview.

If so, Brady will have plenty of knowledge to take with her.

She has been married for 25 years, raised six children and one grandchild, written a best-selling book, ran marathons, and is currently fulfilling her lifelong dream of graduating from college and earning a bachelor’s of science degree with a major in arts and letters. 

To cap it all off, Brady will be speaking at commencement on Saturday, June 13.  

“Education is what makes us who we are. We are what we know,” said Brady, who will be the first to graduate college from either side of her family.  

On top of being her family’s caretaker, chef, personal shopper, chauffer, secretary, record keeper, teacher, mentor, custodian, disciplinarian, CFO and event planner, Brady has worked since she was a teenager in the 1980s as personal assistant to Bill Porter, a salesman with cerebral palsy.

In 2002, Brady’s book Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter was a New York Times bestseller and was made into an Emmy Award-winning movie, Door to Door. Writing is a passion that Brady would like to continue after graduation. She just finished writing a children’s book.

“Life can be hectic with a large family, but it also a lot of fun,” she said.

Brady was born in Portland and lived her whole life here, except for seven years when she lived in Hawaii. She graduated from Grant High School Class in 1980.  

After attending some college in Oahu, Brady found herself back in Portland taking a few classes at Portland State with her fiancé and later husband John Brady, a PSU graduate. 

“I loved the school and the atmosphere,” she said.

After having children, Brady was only able to take classes here and there, but she was determined to one day graduate from college.

“Once my youngest child, Emily, entered first grade, I determined it was time to earn my degree and knew that Portland State would be the perfect place to do just that,” she said.

“From the first moment I entered elementary school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. When I came back to school at PSU three years ago, I decided to return to my dream and stick to it,” Brady said, though in the past she had trouble deciding on a major as she was interested in all different subjects.  

Brady has been greatly influenced by her mother, her husband and her children.

“My mother is a strong woman who survived an abusive marriage. She has always believed in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams,” Brady said. “My husband has been a wonderful partner and father to our children. My children have influenced me to want to be the best I can be for them.” 

Another huge influence in Brady’s life is Porter, whom she met in her senior year of high school.

“I was so impressed with this man who obviously had a disability but was so fiercely independent and was running a successful sales business,” she said. 

Porter was told he was unemployable by the state of Oregon and that he should stay home and collect welfare. Instead, he recalled the words of his mother, who told him he could do anything he set his heart and mind to. Porter went on to become a number one door-to-door salesman for Watkins Products. Due to his inability to drive, Porter hired Brady to do deliveries of the products he sold.  

“Bill had such integrity about him and a work ethic that would not quit,” she said.

Brady is excited to congratulate this year’s graduates, from those young enough to be her children to those closer to her age. 

“As my friend Bill Porter has often said, I am not different but I can make a difference,” she said. “As PSU graduates we may be unique, but on graduation day we are all the same, and we can all go out and become our very best and make a difference in our community and our world.”