I’d only completed about two semesters when everything started to take its toll on me. I thought I would be able to go to school full-time and work full-time, but it didn’t turn out that way. I was tired almost every day. My day would start at 6 in the morning at the supermarket and would finish around 9 at night, when my last class let out. There were weeks when I had no day off because I would have to work on my days off from school or go to school on my days off from work. I didn’t want to end up failing, so I withdrew and put my education on hold for a while.

It took almost two years for me to go back, but I was glad I did. In 1997, I switched to Monroe College and changed my major to office administration. Then, toward the middle of my first semester, I found out that I was pregnant.

Everyone assumed that I was going to drop out of school, but it never entered my mind. Instead, knowing that I was going to be a mother made me realize that I needed to continue my education — not only for my future, but for the future of my child as well. I continued until I was eight months pregnant, and then I took the summer off from both work and school; I returned to school when my son was three months old.

Going to college with a small baby was very hard. There were times when I felt like quitting. But I kept on — I knew that it would pay off in the end. Both of my parents were very supportive and took turns, along with my husband, caring for my son. But there were also times when, because I was also working, they would ask why I didn’t take a break and return to school when my son was older. I would always say that I needed to finish at least my associate’s degree in order to get a better job so that I wouldn’t have to work overtime like I was at the supermarket. They understood and didn’t press the issue. My sister, who is two years younger, ended up going to school with me as well, and my parents were glad that we had each other’s support.

My family comes from Puerto Rico, and I knew plenty of girls who just didn’t want or didn’t have the motivation even to finish high school. Having my sister there with me doing the same thing I was doing (she had a baby as well) gave me strength. Whenever I would think of quitting, I knew that my sister was probably thinking the same thing, but she kept at it every day, and she inspired me to do the same.

My son had a huge impact with my decision as well; I wanted to make sure that he was well provided for. I periodically visited the career services office, hoping to find a better job than the one I currently had at the supermarket. I responded to an ad that Verizon had placed and was given a date to go for testing and, if I passed, an interview. Out of 30 applicants, I was the only one who passed, and I was offered an administrative assistant position at the interview. I took the job and have been working for Verizon for almost five years now.

By the time my sister and I graduated, I had five months with Verizon and my sister had a job interview with Fidelity. I can’t say for sure if having a college degree was what got me the job with Verizon, but I do know that if I had not made the choice of finishing my associate’s degree, I would have missed one the greatest opportunities of my life. I plan on continuing my education even further, hopefully obtaining a bachelor’s degree in journalism. And maybe someday I’ll write a book. You never know unless you try.