At 65, I sometimes joke that I’ve lived enough lives for three people. I have three grown children, eight grandchildren, and I’ve been married to my husband for 25 years, after two marriages before that. For about 33–34 years I worked in senior living, and that’s where I got my CNA license and all of my mental health experience—walking alongside older adults as they age teaches you more than any textbook. I started in that field around 1998, maybe even earlier, and I’ve always loved it. Working with seniors is my passion.
I retired in 2023, but I didn’t stay retired for long. Now I work for a home care agency in Everett called Resident Angels. We do home care, but many of our clients are in hospice—terminal, near the end of life. It’s not a job everyone can do, but I don’t mind it. I feel honored to be with people in those moments.
All these years, I never really went to school for English. I learned in real life, day by day, for more than 40 years—on the job, in conversations, mostly in Spanish when I was younger. When I was raising my three kids, there was no time to think about college. I had my first child at 15. I had three children in just a few years, and I had to work to support them because their father wasn’t providing. I never asked the government for help, so I worked and worked and put my own education to the side.
Now that I’m retired, the situation is different. For the first time in my life, I have a little space to ask: What do I want? That’s why I chose Everett Community College. I want to explore college, to improve the parts of my English that I know I’m missing—grammar, speaking, and especially writing. I already have several certificates from my field, but it has always been hard to prove what I know, both in mental health and nursing. I’ve never passed anything on the first try, but I kept trying until I did. Perseverance has been my best teacher.
Right now I’m taking Reading and Writing 97 and 84. Some people think I should be in a higher level, but I know myself. I’m not ready yet, and I don’t want to rush. I never had the chance to study when I was young, so I’d rather take my time and really understand the material before I move on. I learn slowly—I need time to process—but I do learn.
Still, I think a lot about the younger students. Many of them are just coming out of high school and they’re afraid to keep going because college seems too expensive and too far out of reach. From what I’ve seen, making the first two years of community or technical college free would be a huge help. It would give young people the chance to explore trades and careers in high-demand fields—like healthcare—that pay well and are deeply needed. It would let them learn and grow without feeling like money is closing every door in front of them.
I’m also interested in the interpreter certificate the college offers. With that, you can work in court, legal settings, and other professional environments. I already have some experience interpreting for immigrants and refugees—going to schools or homes to translate between teachers and families, or nurses and clients. Formal training would help me do that more professionally. Higher education matters to me because I love to learn, and because I want to improve myself—not only for me, but to show my kids and grandkids that it’s never too late. If I can walk onto a campus at 65 and do homework, then they can keep going too. They tell me they’re proud of me because they see I show up every day, even when it’s hard.
When I think about support for students, I often think about children. Sometimes parents have no choice but to bring their kids to class because there’s no childcare. I would love to see the college have a dedicated room where children can stay safely while their parents are in class for a couple of hours—somewhere they can draw, do activities, and learn in their own way. Many kids come from low-income families or from countries where their parents don’t know how to support them academically. A safe space like that would help both the children and the parents: the parents could focus on learning, and the kids would receive encouragement and structure.
I know the college has a food pantry where students—or their kids—can grab food and supplies if they need them. I’d love to see more people donate and support that effort. Life is about sharing and helping each other over the hurdles. Not every student is struggling, but some families, especially immigrant families, face more challenges. I’ve seen that some communities get more benefits, while others squeeze into smaller apartments and stretch every dollar. Things like monthly food drives, donation campaigns, and teachers spreading the word about resources could make a big difference.
For me, my path looks a little different. When I first came to community college, I was afraid I’d be the oldest person in the classroom. I felt embarrassed and nervous—my stomach hurt from the anxiety. I speak more than a beginner, but there’s still so much I don’t know. Some people looked at me and asked why I was there if I already spoke English, and that made me feel insecure. But I stuck with it. Now I’m in my fourth quarter. It’s a lot of homework, especially in English 101, but my goal is to earn my GED first and then move toward translation. My daughter studied criminal justice at this college years ago, and her example motivates me to keep going.
For me, being here, at this age, in this classroom, is already a victory. It hasn’t been easy to get to campus, to sit down and do homework again, to face all the things I never got to learn when I was 15 and holding a baby. But I’m here. I show up. I do the work.
And if there’s one thing I hope people take from my story, it’s this: it’s never too late to learn, and it’s never too late to help someone else learn too.