Son inspires her to pursue college degree
“About two years ago, I decided to go get my bachelor’s degree in special education. I thought it was a good match for me and where my heart is for these kids. But I wouldn’t have done it if not for my youngest son.
“When he was a baby, he was so hard to deal with. He was so extreme. I was just pulling my hair out. I didn’t know what to do. But I remember reading something that said, these are the ones who are going to go after what they want with the most passion.
“When he was in high school, there were so many things going on in our lives. It was me and my three children on my one income. We were really struggling as a family. So I wasn’t on the ball with trying to get him into all the college stuff. He was doing it under the radar, though. He was applying everywhere, doing everything he needed.
“When I finally realized it, I thought, man, if he can do that at his age with all this happening in our lives, why can’t I go back? I always thought I was too old to go back to college, and that I couldn’t get the financial aid I would need. But he really inspired me. I ended up trying, and I got financial aid. I got scholarships. And I was just overwhelmed.
“I told my son that he’s the one who inspired me. He kind of blew it off like, oh mom. All you had to do was just do it. It was like no big deal to him. But he has no idea how proud I am of him. The same goes for my oldest son and my daughter. They have no idea how proud I am of all of them. If I can do anything in life to make them proud of me, that’s all I want.”
— Darlene Houseman
Darlene, 56, is an inclusion paraprofessional in the special education department at Travis Elementary. She attends Western Governors University online.
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