After 20 years of not going to school, Lisa Mascarenas will be receiving her associate’s degree in criminology from UNM Valencia.
“Knowing I got this far, remembering the struggle and realizing just how easy it would have been to quit, I didn't and that makes me happy to know I did it,” Mascarenas said.
Over the last three years, Mascarenas has been trying to get her degree. She said the biggest motivation for her was her 19-year-old daughter, Renee, who has been with her the whole way.
At one point in time, Mascarenas thought that it was too late to get her degree. However, after hearing her daughter's sweet and sometimes brutally honest words, something Mascarenas said she always appreciated coming from her daughter, gave her the inspiration to pursue education.
She described Renee as her rock, inspiration and counselor when she needed to vent. Without Renee, Mascarenas might not be graduating.
The realization that she was an inspiration to her daughter, provided Mascarenas the extra push needed to finish her degree.
Mascarenas said her daughter was really the only person who believed in her, and felt that no one else cared if she made it or not.
“There were plenty of times that I wanted to give up, thinking I was too old, that I was never going to understand any of the work,” Mascarenas said.
The biggest challenge and accomplishment that Lisa overcame was not giving up. Renee never stopped believing in her, which gave Lisa the strength to finish her degree.
Lisa’s story is a miraculous encouragement to students around campus that nothing can stop you from aspiring to get your degree. Inspiration can come out of nowhere when getting your own degree.
Emma Citizen is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com.
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