Reyna Tippetts

…Destiny is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved. –William Jennings Bryan

I come from a very poor and dysfunctional home; I never imagined life could be so good and easy when I was little. I feel I have accomplished more than my dream already. Where I come from (Ebano, S.L.P. Mexico), school is for rich people and more likely for boys. Growing up and seeing other kids with things that I could not even dream about was a little confusing; however, it never put me down. I can remember being a little girl and going to sleep hungry because there was never enough to eat, but I never complained and my mother never talked about it. My house was a little shack with walls made out of cardboard, pieces of metal and scrap wood; on rainy days, the rain would come through the ceiling, and I would have to sleep on the edge of my bed trying to stay dry. For lunch, my mom would send me to ask the neighbors if they wanted me to buy fresh tortillas from the store for which they would pay me a few cents for the favor. I would use that money to buy some for my family, sometimes I would also steal few tortillas from each pound of tortillas I bought for them, to have more for my family. My mom and I would walk for miles to the town dump to pick through the produce trash for the vegetables and fruits that could be eaten; there is so much I could tell you. My older sister -the one my mother had her hope set on- ran away from home at 15. My mom was discouraged and felt that I would do the same, and she decided it would be a waste of time for me to get an education. But I wanted to go to school, so I started to work at the age of 12, going to school at night and manage to be an honor student; I paid my way through school while I supported my mother. She didn’t care what I did as long as I could make sure there was food on the table.

As you can see I did not have the support for education at home, but from a very early age school became my passion. At school, I was just like everyone else and my teacher always told me I was a good kid. Because of the support of an extraordinary teacher name Ms. Conchita, I was able to excel at all aspects in school, I remember she bought me a school uniform when I placed 1st place on my GPA level for the third grade (the very first time I ever had something new of my own!), and I went to compete to the state, where I obtained fifth place. Those events characterize a crucial phase of my life. After that, I met so many more teachers that told me I could do well. School was the escape to all the chaos and paucity at home. I was able to dream and arose –what in some way I was not allowed at home. In my junior years, I engaged in every single school activity I could –which was my ticket to get away from my troubled home. I participated of every event the school had, artistic, cultural and academic. I participated in many academic competitions, all this while working on the morning and weekends; especially math, I really liked math because no matter how you solve the problem the solution will always be the same; somehow, I wished my life would be that way. I became the president of the student association from the ninth grade until I finish high school. I graduated from high school with honors -which did not help me to be eligible for a scholarship because the High School principal’s niece apparently was more deserving than me. I moved to the closest town (Tampico, Tam. Mexico), to find a job and apply for a technical school -there was no way I could pay for college. And once again my instructors were there to support my desire to learn and do better; I had the opportunity to come in direct contact with real extraordinary people on my path. Making my way through technical school was a real challenge. I walked for miles to get to my work at 5 am; few more to get to class at 3 pm, get out of school at 10 pm and walked few miles back to the place I was living get there around 11:30 or after 12 pm and start all over again at 5 am the next day. The shortest path took me through the area of the city where all the bars, prostitution, drugs, and alcohol took place. I remember walking as fast as I could, holding my books and just praying to God to let me make it home. “If you are going through hell, keep on going, don’t slow down, if you’re scared, don’t show it, if you do the devil will know you’re there.” I know that is very factual. My friends at school would bring me lunch because they knew I did not have anything to eat that day; some of them would ask me to tutor them and pay me for it so that I could have some money for my needs. My instructors let me use their books and schools supplies because they knew I didn’t have any. I would stay at my friend’s homes, and their parents would feed me for free…

Let me tell you, there are so many extraordinary people that doesn’t receive Novel Prize or win a shiny trophy; they don’t collect a monetary recognition, and more often no one even knows they exist. I met so many of them: my instructors, who did more than their job description; my friends, that lend me a hand to walk with me at the middle of the night to get home, the people that allowed me to sleep at their homes, the ones that would pad me on the back and tell me don’t give up, and the ones that stood by my side when I felt I could not do it anymore. You see we can all be extraordinary people by giving a smile to a stranger, or lending a helping hand to someone we know needs help. We can be extraordinary people by never turning our back to what we know is right.

…Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet, is fighting some kind of battle. –Anonymous

In 1998, I met my husband in Mexico. It’s because of him that I came to the United States. My husband was widowed with two little gorgeous boys, a two-year-old and the other five ––who did not spoke any Spanish, and I didn’t any English! The kids picked my Spanish quickly, and I honestly didn’t try to learn English because my husband could translate for me. A year later I had a baby girl of my own, to complete our family, now I was the mother of three… those were the days! But after all, this wonderful experiences my need for education and a professional life was still there; although now was scarier than ever before; a new language, having to start again in a foreign country, where no one had a clue who I was or what I could do –it was a bit intimidating. I started to work at the LSC-North Harris in 2001, as a housekeeper; I tried to get other jobs, but because of the language barrier that was all I could do; with the support of my supervisor Pat Green in 2004, transferred to LSC-Montgomery as a Lead Custodial. In 2006, I took a the Staff Assistant position with the LSC-Police Department, this new position required me to try my hardest since everyone was so worried that I couldn’t do the job being that I just verily learned English; many people would make a comment that I was just hired because I was “cute," that being the moment when I decided it was time to get back to school and to prove everyone that I could do more than they thought. I must admit that I felt embarrassed so many times because of my grammar errors and my strong accent, and still do, as I know I still make mistakes. Getting back to school was more challenging that trying to speak English! I started by taking one class per semester, then I realize I could do few more, but it was not until 2008 when I decided I needed to get serious about my education.

In 2010, got my associates in Legal Studies, and two more certificates (Legal Administrator Assistant, and Microsoft Office Specialization). I was so happy about it. A year later I tried to get back to school and wanted to check about how to get a Bachelor’s degree. To my surprise, I learned that my AAS wasn’t transferable and that I would need to take most of my classes, also that the price of a university was way more that I could afford. I felt upset and disappointed, at some point defined as well. I was disappointed and sad and for the next three years, I tried to find an opportunity to get back to school and continue my education. Getting back to school is difficult to me because my two stepsons are in college, and although my husband and I can support our family, me trying to pay for my education really puts a dent in our house budget, reason why, when my work awarded me with the LSCS-OLLU, 80-20 grant, I was so happy and ready to get back to school, I re-started my dream of education in Fall 2014. Originally my goal was to get my bachelor’s degree by the time my daughter graduates high school in 2017, but after taking classes per semester, I am so proud that I’ll be graduating this Spring 2016, with my Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting. I do plan to continue and enroll in the Master’s Program for fall!

I enjoy living on this country because I know this is a place where the opportunities are the same for everyone who wants to take a chance. I also enjoy working for Lone Star College System because I know the word “support” applies for the institution as well as for me. I do feel I can do anything I want; my biggest desire is to make sure my kids understand that there is a lot more to life than a brand name or a specific stylish look; that life is not about how we look or what we wear, but about who we are, what we know and what we can do. So many times we are so frustrated about what we want that we forget how blessed we are and what we have, especially in this wonderful country where the opportunities are equal for everyone. I work surrounded by people that care and support me in every step I take.

I can honestly say that yes, life is not fair and will try us from time to time, to see if we break down; and yes, it is okay to break, we are all humans, as long as we get up and put ourselves back together, and never... never give up!

Sincerely, Reyna Tippetts