Graduating from Cañada College means so much more to me than earning a degree. For me, this moment represents survival, persistence, healing, and everything I had to carry in order to get here.

I am a survivor of human trafficking. That is part of my story, and it is something I am still healing from. Survival does not mean that what happened simply disappears. There are experiences I still carry with me, but I made a decision that my past was not going to stop me from becoming who I want to be.

That decision has mattered at every step of my education.

I am a full-time mom of two daughters, and one of them is also in college, so in many ways we have been doing this side by side. There were days when I was exhausted, stressed, and honestly did not know how I was going to get everything done. I took classes online and in person, working around everything else life required of me and trying to make it work no matter what was happening around me.

I kept going.

Becoming a first-generation college graduate makes this achievement even more meaningful. My parents did not have this opportunity, so when I think about earning my degree, I know this moment is bigger than just me. It belongs to the people who helped me get here too.

My journey has also included tremendous loss. In 2003, I lost my brother to gun violence. February 8, 2003, is a date I will never forget. A part of me changed that day. Honestly, a part of me died. That pain never fully leaves, but I have learned how to continue moving forward while carrying it.

So when I walked across that graduation stage, I was carrying all of it with me: motherhood, grief, survival, healing, work, school, and all of the moments when giving up would have been easier.

That is what made the diploma mean so much.

I am proud of myself not because this journey was easy, but because I did not give up.

I also know I did not get here alone. My parents, my husband, my children, my family, my close friends, my coworkers, and the faculty at Cañada College all supported me along the way. Cañada College gave me more than an education. It gave me community and people who believed in me even during moments when believing in myself was difficult.

My work at MISSSEY has also been an important part of this chapter of my life. I support girls who are survivors of trafficking or who are at risk of exploitation, and that work keeps me grounded. It reminds me why I keep going and why this degree matters, not only for me, but for the young people I want to support and for my daughters, who are watching me.

I know I am not the only person who has had to fight to reach a milestone like this. We all carry something: responsibilities, struggles, sacrifices, loss, and experiences other people may never see. That is why I believe choosing to keep going matters.

If there is one thing I want people, especially youth, to take from my story, it is this: your story matters. No matter how hard it is, it does not define you; instead, it shows your strength.

This degree is not just proof that I finished college. For me, it is proof that I kept going.