Growing up, I never thought I’d be able to attend college. My mother worked as a maid, and to help my family, I went to work at the age of fifteen. During high school, I was fortunate to get a job at GTE, a company that offered tuition reimbursement. I could not attend college full-time, but continued taking classes at HCC for a number of years and was inspired by many of my professors. Thanks in great part to the confidence I gained as an HCC student, I grew in my career, and retired as Director of Public Policy and Community Relations at Verizon. My professional success even led me to serve on the HCC Foundation Board. HCC is truly a springboard to success for students of all calibers.