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Irma Garcia, 72, didn't always have a lot of time to herself as a single mother of three daughters. But whenever she did have time, she used it to follow her dream of earning a bachelor's degree.She moved from Puerto Rico to the Washington, DC area in 1978, while she was in her early 20s, and raised three girls on her own, often working multiple jobs. Her oldest daughter was 3 years old when they moved, and her twins were 1."I had left Puerto Rico because I wanted to go to school," Garcia told USA TODAY, adding that her wages in Puerto Rico made it difficult to support her family.She took classes at a local community college and earned her associate's degree in the 1980s. She didn't continue her education at that time "because it was very hard, you know, with three daughters." But five years ago, when she was in her late 60s and semi-retired, Garcia found she had a lot more time on her hands − and could get three free classes per semester through George Mason University's senior tuition waiver program.Now a grandmother of eight, Garcia has reached her goal. She walked across the stage in her cap and gown on Saturday, May 16 and collected her diploma from George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government."When you're young, you always think that everything has to be done immediately," she said. "You don't have to do it all at the same time. You can take your time."Now, Garcia wants to make sure other people − especially women of color who didn't have easy access to education in their younger years − have the resources they need to go to college if they want to.A family accomplishmentGarcia said five of her grandchildren have now graduated from college, too. They were some of her biggest supporters, she said, always helping her with technology and giving her study tips. Her daughters helped her, too, stepping in as caregivers when she was sick and helping Garcia financially."This is a family accomplishment," Garcia said.It's almost become an unofficial tradition, Garcia said, for people in her family to get their degrees later on. Her grandmother graduated from high school when her sons did, and Garcia's mother got her bachelor's degree after she retired.Garcia spent her career helping people experiencing homelessness find housing. She often had side gigs, like working at Wendy's in the evenings or as a clerk at the community college where she took courses.She didn't have any family in the United States, so finding child care was a challenge. As her daughters grew older, she said she relied on her oldest to help out."If I went to school sometimes on the weekend, I would take them all and she would sit at the cafeteria or at the library and she would take care of the other two, and I would be running for the classroom," Garcia said.Sometimes it all felt like too much, she said. But her girls motivated her to keep going."It's not easy, but it can be done," she said. "I think all of us should aspire to have a better life."Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.Reach Madeline at memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ on X.
