“I want to better my life and my children’s lives.”
It has taken her 10 years, but Sarah Dishongh is on track to graduate by the end of the year. Like many young people, she didn’t know how college worked.
“No one prepared me. But it was a huge goal of mine to graduate college.”
So she started at HCUC in 2010. She was a teen mother, raising three children. She worked full time. Sometimes she could only take 2 classes at a time, and once had to take a semester off. But she “never, never stopped going to school.”
“There were times I worked three jobs. I was a single mom for a long time. I drove a broken down car with no A/C. I just did what I had to do just to get through it.”
By utilizing the opportunities right here in town, Sarah could work, and did not have to commute to Austin or move to Lubbock.
“Having HCUC here is so helpful,” she said. “Classes are small. You get to know your professors, and they all want to help. It’s like a big family.”
As she nears fulfilling her dream, Sarah reflects on her journey. “Everything I have I’ve worked for,” she said. “My kids are the way they are because I was able to raise them. I feel the odds were against me as a single, teen mom. But I wanted to better my life and my children’s lives. Finishing school opens up a lot more options. I’ve beaten all the odds.”