If someone would have told Rebecca Garcia that she would graduate from college 35 years after completing high school, she would not have believed it. She could never have imagined that in 2021, amid a worldwide pandemic, that she and her youngest daughter, Monica Garcia, would both graduate from Northwest Vista College. Cheering for them on their special day was Rebecca’s husband, Richard Garcia, and their eldest daughter, Desiree Garcia, who is also a NVC graduate.

As Northwest Vista College celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, we’re reconnecting with alumni and discovering how receiving a degree or certificate from NVC has impacted their lives and careers.

Despite the distinct challenges that all three members of the close-knit Garcia family faced, all of them said NVC provided the motivation they needed to achieve their goals. Desiree was the first in the Garcia family to go to college and chose NVC. She graduated from NVC in 2013 with an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice. In 2016, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). For Desiree, getting a degree at NVC was the first step toward fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a police officer.

“If it wasn’t for Vista, I wouldn’t have gone to get my bachelor’s degree. I would not have gone into the police academy,” she said. “It all started with Vista giving me a chance.”

Today, Desiree proudly serves as a police officer with the Northside Independent School District (NISD) where she's been for nearly six years. Prior to that, she served as an officer with the Live Oak Police Department.

Despite her accomplishments, Desiree recalls a time when she had lost her motivation to complete her bachelor’s degree. When her great-grandfather died in 2015, she felt like giving up, but her desire to make him proud, as well as the encouragement from her father, mother and sister, helped her carry on.

As it turns out, the Garcias served as a support system for each other, and about a year later, Monica decided to follow her older sister’s advice and enrolled at NVC. Not long after, their mom, Rebecca, who had started at San Antonio College after graduating from high school in 1986, also enrolled at NVC. Rebecca said going back to college after 30 years was both a humbling and eye-opening experience.

“I quickly realized that math wasn’t as easy as it used to be. I had to visit the math lab more often than I liked,” Rebecca said. “But the individuals would sit with me in a huddle to make sure I understood everything. It didn’t matter if they were busy or not; they always made me feel welcome and smart, even when I doubted myself.”

Rebecca and her youngest daughter, Monica, helped each other with homework and, at the suggestion of their advisor, even took a couple of classes together. Monica said going to school with her mom was a little weird at first, but because of the support they gave each other, it soon felt natural.

“What I learned going to Vista is that you’re never too old or too young to go back to school,” Monica said. “There are going to be obstacles along the way, and you can always overcome those obstacles with the right people by your side.”

As was the case for Desiree, Monica and Rebecca did not let obstacles stop them from completing their education — not even the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, both were among the pandemic-era, masked-wearing graduates who participated in NVC’s memorable drive-thru commencement ceremony at NISD’s Dub Farris Athletic Stadium Complex. Desiree said she cried like a baby and Richard was also filled with emotion as they watched Rebecca and Monica receive the degrees they had worked so hard to attain.

Monica earned an Associate of Arts in Digital Media, and she’s currently working as an accounting clerk for IPAC Nissan in San Antonio.

Rebecca received an Associate of Arts in Medical Management. She said graduating from college at 52 was something she never thought would happen, but it gave her confidence and put her on a career path that she’d dreamed of but didn’t think was possible. She’s now the office manager for the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Division for UT Health San Antonio.

“It’s a position I take great pride in, and I feel I couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone at Northwest Vista College.”

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