Great-grandmother graduated from Mount San Jacinto College in California.
Cheers erupted as 90-year-old Rita Victoria Hernandez received her degree from Mount San Jacinto College. She is the school’s oldest graduate.
As a single mother of three daughters, 72-year-old Irma Garcia didn’t always have a lot of time for herself. But whenever I had time, I spent it pursuing my dream of getting a bachelor’s degree.
She immigrated to the Washington, D.C., area from Puerto Rico in 1978 when she was in her early 20s, working multiple jobs and raising three girls on her own. At the time of the move, my eldest daughter was 3 years old and the twins were 1 year old.
“I left Puerto Rico because I wanted to go to school,” Garcia told USA TODAY, adding that the wages in Puerto Rico made it difficult for her to support her family.
She took classes at a local community college and earned an associate’s degree in the 1980s. She did not continue her education at the time because it was “very difficult with three daughters”. But five years ago, when she was semi-retired in her late 60s, Garcia realized she had more time on her hands and was able to take three classes a semester for free through George Mason University’s Advanced Tuition Waiver Program.
Now a grandmother of eight, Garcia has achieved her goal. She walked across the stage in cap and gown on Saturday, May 16, to receive her diploma from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
“When you’re young, you always think you have to do everything right away,” she said. “You don’t have to do everything at once. It’s okay to take your time.”
Now, Garcia wants to make sure that others, especially women of color who didn’t have easy access to education when they were younger, have the resources they need to go to college if they want to.
family achievements
Garcia said her five grandchildren have now graduated from college. She said they were some of her biggest supporters and always helped her with technology and gave her study tips. Her daughters also helped her, filling in as her caregivers when she became ill and helping Garcia financially.
“This is a family achievement,” Garcia said.
Garcia said it’s almost an unofficial tradition for people in her family to earn degrees later in life. Her grandmother graduated from high school, as did her sons, and Garcia’s mother earned a bachelor’s degree after retiring.
Garcia has spent her career helping people experiencing homelessness find housing. She often worked side jobs, such as working at Wendy’s at night and as an administrator at the community college where she took courses.
She had no family in the United States, so finding child care was difficult. As her daughters grew up, she said she asked her oldest daughter to help.
“Sometimes on the weekends we would go to school and I would take all the kids and she would sit in the cafeteria or the library and she would take care of the other two and I would run to class,” Garcia said.
At times, she said, it all felt like too much. But her girls motivated her to keep going.
“It’s not easy, but it’s possible,” she said. “I think we should all want a better life.”
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.
