Isla Covarrubias
Grad Stories (2017)
Isla Covarrubias learned the value of hard work at the age of five. She recalls her
father taking her and her brother out to the fields in Mexico to pick fruit to stock
the produce store her dad owned in their town. She was born in Orange County and at
the age of two she moved with her father to Jalisco, Mexico. She returned to Orange
County at the age of 11.
Later, Covarrubias started a family with her husband and moved to Michigan, but had
to move back to California three years ago to escape from her abusive husband. She
left her job, a home and a middle class lifestyle. She packed the essentials and with
her three young children moved to Corona with her mother.
“I was embarrassed to ask for help and knew the only way to achieve personal success
was to attend college. I found my way to Norco College through the CalWORKs program
and am so glad I decided to pursue my education.”
She felt unsure of herself because she did not know the English language fluently
and was shy to ask for help. For years, her husband told her that she was not good
enough and she started to believe it. Covarrubias recalls how challenging it was for
her to commit to school while raising three children, but she continued to push through.
“There were times I wanted to quit because I did not think I was meant for school.
Thankfully, my counselors would talk me out of it and here I am setting a good example
for my children. I want them to be proud of their mom.”
Covarrubias was dedicated to her studies and sought help from peers, mentors and professors
to ensure she maintained good grades. She joined clubs, participated in special programs
including EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, SSS, Puente and the Honor’s program. Covarrubias co-founded
the Norco Mustang Parent Organization. She serves as an advocate through organizations
like the Hispanas Organization for Political Equality (HOPE) and has taken an active
role by speaking to Assembly members at the state capitol. Recently, she was selected
to receive the 2017 CalWORKs scholarship. In late March, she attended the CalWORKs
Association Conference where she spoke to an audience of over 300 people about her
struggles and success.
On June 8, 2017, Covarrubias graduated as a student of distinction from Norco College
with four associate degrees. She was accepted to eight universities and committed
to a full ride at UC Berkeley. She will be pursuing a degree in Sociology and hopes
to become a college counselor. As of this writing, Isla and her family planned to
relocate to Berkeley during the summer to begin her classes in fall.
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