05/21/2026
My journey started in 1999. My mom gave me an ultimatum: go to college or pay rent. The choice was easy. Why pay rent?
I enrolled at SMC and planned to major in Communications because I wanted to become a radio disc jockey. I also loved spending money, so I worked several jobs. Eventually, work took over school. I moved out on my own, and that was that.
Years later, after major health struggles and being lucky to be alive, I wanted something different. Soon after my illness, my brother was diagnosed with colon cancer. Then my dad and brother passed away within three weeks of each other. It was one of the hardest times of my life. I felt lost and overwhelmed by change.
One moment of joy I will never forget was attending my sister Terri’s graduation when she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business. I forced my brother to take pictures with me that day. Nine years ago, Terri earned her MBA, and that moment brought our family joy during a dark time. I wished my brother had been there in person, but I knew he was there in spirit.
Since then, I have often felt lost, wondering what I was doing with my life and knowing I was meant to make a change. Then COVID hit, and I saw an opportunity to go back to school while everything was online.
I started slow, changed my major at SMC, earned several AA degrees, raised my GPA from a 1.9 to a 3.7, and was accepted into the College of Business at Cal State Long Beach.
Here we are, six years after my journey restarted. It was not easy. I questioned myself many times. I dealt with health issues, stress, anxiety, leaving the only career I knew, and starting a new one with challenges of its own. But I made it through.
I hope my journey inspires someone who thinks they are too old, or that it is too hard. If I can do it, you can. It is easy not to do the work, but when you reach the end, it is so gratifying.