Tina Howell, 54
CSU San Marcos | Multiple-subject Teaching Credential
“I didn't feel like I belonged in college. But I met some wonderful professors along the way who took me aside and, at my lowest points, kept reminding me the fight wasn't inside the classroom, it wasn't outside the classroom. The biggest fight was within myself."
“As a child, I went to 18 different schools, so it wasn't easy. I dropped out of high school when I was 16 and didn't think college was for me. I had two kids and kept telling them they had to go to college. They turned the tables around and said, 'Well, you didn't go to college, Mom, so why should we?' So to show my kids the right path, I began, with the help of my husband, the process of going to school.
"My first day of school, I thought I was totally in the wrong place. When I looked around, the people in the classroom were 20 to 30 years younger than me. Even the professor was younger than me. It was very awkward. I remember thinking,
If I make it through this class, I'm gonna get in my car and go home because I don't belong here.
"I'm graduating magna cum laude in May. I've learned not to give up and that even when the road is difficult, you can forge a path through the difficulties and keep moving forward."