My journey was difficult because I am the first of my family to go onto college and I didn’t know anyone who had gone into higher education. Additionally, I attended school with a toddler at my hip. I had to be persistent and stubborn when others deterred me from continuing my education. With counseling at the school, I learned to navigate my way through the system. I found programs like CCCP to help students like me navigate the system and utilize all the opportunities that applied to my situation.
CCCP helped me find a community that I thought didn’t exist. They provided the environment that I needed to feel safe, heard, inspired to continue in our education and succeed in transferring to a university. The program helped me feel empowered and understand that I belong in the spaces.
I attended UC Merced for my undergraduate studies and later achieved my goal of being accepted to UCLA as a graduate student in the Luskin School of Public Affairs. I never gave up on my dream of continuing my education, even when the journey was difficult. Because I began graduate school during the pandemic, it took some time before I was finally able to step onto UCLA’s campus as a student. When that moment came, my son and I were incredibly proud to attend a new student mixer together. CCCP became one of the most meaningful parts of my UCLA experience because it introduced me to my best friend, Nancy Ocana, who was also a fellow parenting student. We held each other accountable and continued to inspire, motivate, and support one another throughout our journeys.
I was so proud of myself for attending UCLA. It felt surreal and I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was so grateful for my sacrifices, struggle’s, and all the people around me who supported me in my journey.
Today, I live in Sacramento, California, and work as a research data analyst for the California State Treasurer’s Office. I love my job and the flexibility it provides, which allows me to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I am also the owner of Para Las Plantitas, a small plant pop-up shop.
In my personal life, my partner of 14 years and I are engaged to be married. My oldest son is now 13 years old and has expressed gratitude for the sacrifices we made to build a more stable life. He remembers attending classes with me, spending hours in the library with his iPad, and watching me work toward my goals. Now, he says he cannot wait to attend UCLA one day, just like I did.
We also have a three-year-old child who was born into this new chapter of our lives. I am deeply grateful that our perseverance has allowed us to create greater stability, opportunity, and a better future for our children.
CCCP is a great program that offers guidance to many including untraditional students. The program offered counseling specific to my major and school life balance as a working mom. I appreciated becoming connected to the tools that paved the way to be a successful transfer student into the UC system. After CCCP, I was not only inspired to transfer but to consider graduate school as a parenting student.
When I receive the email that I was accepted into UCLA for grad school. I was overwhelmed with emotion and in that moment, I thought about the impact CCCP has had in my life.
