Congratulations, Carmen!
We are thrilled to celebrate our very own promotora, Maria del Carmen Zepeda, who recently graduated with her high school diploma through the Petaluma Adult School. This is an achievement many years in the making and we are so proud of Carmen for her hard work and determination to overcome all obstacles to reach her goals.
Carmen’s journey wasn’t easy. She left high school her senior year after becoming pregnant and facing discouragement from school staff rather than support. “I had good grades. I had all my credits. And the principal said she wasn’t going to let me graduate,” Carmen remembers. “I kind of just stopped.”
More than a decade later, now a wife and mother of three, Carmen became deeply involved in her children’s schools as a volunteer and as president of the English Language Advisory Committee. At Healdsburg Elementary School, she met Diego González, who had previously worked with Corazón’s academic development team and now serves as our administrative and program support coordinator. Diego encouraged her to enroll in adult education classes to finish her diploma.
“I knew I could do it myself,” she says. “But sometimes it’s nice to hear it from someone else. You just have to believe.”
Despite setbacks, including the death of a loved one and losing her home in a fire, Carmen persevered, inspired by her children. Her kids wouldn’t let her forget her dreams. They would ask her about her classes, check in about her homework. Eventually they would sit and all do their homework together. “That motivated me more,” she said, “because we were all doing it together.”
Carmen joined the Corazón team as a promotora in February. She says the work is helping her grow her confidence and remember that it’s ok to ask for help.
“I like being with the community, letting them know they’re not alone,” she says. “I feel like I understand them and what they’re going through.”
Carmen will be sharing more of her story at our fundraiser Event of the Heart, on Saturday, July 12. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, time is running out! Don’t miss this chance to get inspired and be a part of something special!
