Mother of three inspires daughters, earns her degree with AlamoONLINE

Ever since elementary school, Angela Dominguez has loved English and literature. “I was fascinated with grammar and vocabulary,” she says. “As I got older, in junior high, I would express myself through writing. [Writing] gave me a big sense of accomplishment, you know, completing a paper and kind of challenging myself to do better than I did last time.”

Angela is currently earning a fully online degree in English, with plans to transfer to a four-year university after graduating from Northeast Lakeview College. She is a full-time student and mom, so online learning works well—allowing her to balance family obligations while pursuing her dream of becoming an English teacher.

When asked why she wants to teach English, Angela shares, “I want to help people if they struggle. I know a lot of people who struggle with either reading or writing or grammar or spelling or understanding literature. For me, that comes easy. I enjoy it, so I figured why not use that to help others who may have a hard time.”

Each student enrolls at our Alamo Colleges with a unique story, marked with struggles and successes, and Angela is no exception. Initially, she was hesitant to return to school mainly because of her age. She also faced external pressures from her peers, saying,

“Honestly, I've had a couple of people in my life make comments like 'you're too old to go back to school, you'll never make it.’ [...] For me, that just makes me work harder and dig deeper so I can show the people who say I can’t do it.”

Regarding her motivation to return to college, Angela shares, “[I left college when] I was very young. At the time, I didn't really think that college was that important, so I got out into the workforce and found myself working for the same company for 26 years. A couple of years ago, I just had been giving it a lot of thought, and I said, ‘I still have time to pursue my dream,’ and that's what I did. I left my job, and I'm pursuing my degree.”

Regardless of outside opinions, she persisted and stayed positive in the face of challenges. For instance, while English comes naturally to her, math was a struggle. At one point in her online math course, Angela felt lost and frustrated. The material proved more difficult than she anticipated, yet she remained dedicated and passed the class.

“It’s stuff like that that keeps pushing me,” she shares. “Just when I think I can’t do it, I redeem myself.”

Above all, the biggest lesson Angela has learned about herself is her intrinsic motivation and inherent ability to persevere and succeed. She says, “I’ve learned that I don’t need anyone else to push me or encourage me to continue. I’ve realized that I actually have all of that inside myself. I’m the only one who can motivate myself to do it.”