The power of perseverance

“I can’t tell you anything other than if I didn’t have him, I know that I would be so lost had I gone through what I’d gone through. I wouldn’t feel like everything I’ve done has meaning,” Vejar said. “It means a lot to me, obviously, to be able to walk across that stage, but I swear to you had my son not been there I would have felt like I had done this for nothing.”

A moment this important would have been difficult to imagine two years ago as Vejar walked into Dr. Geeti Farrahi’s office as the fall 2021 semester wrapped up. 

Farrahi’s class was the first of many prerequisite courses needed to graduate from the LVN program at MCC and Vejar was not doing well. All Farrahi knew about Vejar before that meeting was that she was a student who had missed several classes, was often late and when she was in the room sometimes dozed off. While her coursework was solid, Vejar was failing to meet attendance requirements. 

Vejar came into the office that day to ask Farrahi about keeping the credits she was able to earn that semester on her record. If she had to drop out and start over again, Vejar was hoping to have a semester completed. Farrahi was not satisfied with letting her student simply walk away – she wanted to know more. 

“I was trying so hard to let her know the surface of stuff. And she was like, ‘Why? What do you mean? What’s going on?’ She sensed it was bigger than I was letting on,” Vejar said. “She really wanted to get to the root of the issue. I pretty much just broke down in her office.”

A mom shortly after finishing high school, Vejar was struggling to get by. Her father passed away when she was 6-years old from gang violence. Her mother relocated to the Central Valley from Los Angeles shortly after Vejar graduated high school. After her relationship with her son’s father fell apart, Vejar asked her mother if she could temporarily stay with her in the Central Valley area. What was supposed to be a few months turned into almost five years. 

All the while, Vejar was trying to find solid footing for her future. Even after she was accepted in to MCC’s LVN program, her problems continued to mount. 

From her mom’s house to MCC is supposed to be a 45-minute drive. For Vejar, that quickly turned into two or more hours as her car could continuously shut off during the trip, forcing her to pull over, wait a few minutes and restart the engine. Vejar eventually got so scared of missing class, particularly during finals, that she slept in her car at a truck stop near the campus. 

All the while, her son was living in Los Angeles with his fraternal grandmother as Vejar and her family were unable to care for him and his educational needs. As the story unfolded, Farrahi came to better understand what was happening. 

“I said, ‘Nobody quits in my program. Nobody quits. We are fighters. We are nurses and we just have to meet the challenges,’” Farrahi said. “My heart just went out to her and I said, ‘There’s a lot going on in your life and definitely you need help.’ I asked her to be patient and strong and told her to not think about giving up and we will work through this.”

From there, Farrahi and her colleagues at MCC sprung into action. She quickly took Vejar down to visit with Dr. Ganesan Srinivasan, Dean of Instruction for State Center Community College District at the time, to recount the story once again. Eventually, the group visited with Dr. Reyna to share details as well. 

Over the next several weeks, efforts were made to connect Vejar with resources like scholarships and grants, along with social services. She was able to find and furnish affordable housing near campus. She got her car repaired. She made a commitment to staying enrolled at Madera. And, most importantly, she got her son back. 

What started out as a meeting to talk about quitting turned into a moment where Vejar’s life did a complete 180 degree turn. Over the next three semesters, she made it count. 

With the resources and support she and her son needed to succeed, Vejar pushed through the academic rigors and finished the LVN program. But her educational journey is far from over. With an associates in-hand, Vejar is transferring to Fresno State so she can work on a bachelor’s degree. As part of her studies at MCC, Vejar worked in the county’s Public Health office and learned about the need for people to help those less fortunate get connected with the services and resources. It’s a story she relates to. 

“A lot of it is for the homeless, they target a lot of homeless women. When I was doing my hours and stuff, I was like this is a job I can not only see myself doing but I have been there,” Vejar said. “I know the struggle. I know what it is to have nothing and I would love nothing more than to give back.”

While Vejar’s journey to a brighter future will continue, graduation was a moment to celebrate all she had accomplished. As part of his remarks, Dr. Reyna recognized and shared a few words on Vejar and the obstacles she overcame, noting she never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome. 

That’s a lesson she wants her son, who is now 10-years old, to understand. It’s why she had to finish school, not for any future career path in particular, but to show what perseverance can do. 

After the graduation ceremony finished, Vejar and her son were reunited. He immediately started a sentence by saying, ‘When I do my graduation.’ For Vejar, it’s a moment that affirmed her journey was worth it. 

“My heart just feels so full because I didn’t have that growing up. I didn’t see anyone graduate. I didn’t go to graduations,” Vejar said. “To have him be front and center at his mom’s graduation, I’m sure is going to impact him for the first of his life.”