Julisa Deleon graduated from Bard Microcollege Holyoke in 2021. Today, she is the College Program Coordinator for the Microcollege, helping other women succeed in college and continue on to bachelor’s degree programs and rewarding careers.
Shortly after graduating, Julisa spoke at The Care Center’s virtual fundraising party on June 6, 2021. Below are the video and full transcript of her speech.
Julisa Deleon’s 2021 Speech
My name is Julisa Deleon. I’m originally from Paterson, NJ. Now I live in Chicopee with my fiancé and two boys, Gabriel and Jacob. I like to cook, and try new recipes. And I love dancing and listening to all types of music especially 80s music.
I’ve always loved school. Despite the discouragement from my guidance counselor who told me not to even bother with higher education, I attended Newbury College in Brookline, MA after high school. I did well and made Dean’s List but after they raised the tuition my second semester, I had to transfer to Holyoke Community College, working and studying full-time.
At that time, I was in a toxic relationship that resulted in losing my job, leaving school and becoming homeless. I also became pregnant with my first son Gabriel. At one of my last prenatal appointments, I noticed a flyer for the Clemente Course in the Humanities at The Care Center. I missed school so I called and spoke to the director, Ken. He told me that the credits I’d earn in Clemente would be transferable for a degree. I figure I’d lost one shot, here’s another.
College with Newborn
When I started the Clemente Course, my son was four days old and I was still really swollen and sore. Still, I knew it was my calling. On the first day we got to meet everyone and the professors. The community was awesome – there was another girl that was pregnant. Just knowing there were other girls in the same position as me was really inspiring. It was a sense of belonging. Like being in our own little club. I thought, here’s your second chance. Things are really ugly right now and things can look up.
We read Plato’s, Allegory of the Cave and I loved how everyone was reading the same story and getting different interpretations. For me, it represented my life at the time – at the end of the dark tunnel, there is a light. They were stuck in there in the cave and they were so busy being stuck that they couldn’t get themselves out.
Getting the Support I Needed
Not long after finishing the Clemente Course, I got an email from The Care Center letting me know about their new associate degree program, Bard Microcollege Holyoke. My second baby, Jacob was three months old when I started Bard. There was transportation so I didn’t have to walk with him in the stroller when it was freezing out, daycare, and counseling for when things came up – and a lot of things came up. The resources provided for us enabled every student to accomplish this wonderful opportunity. Not many institutions offer free education so it would have been foolish to not take advantage.
The director, Mary Anne, was the biggest support I had. Her spirit like many of the other faculty was genuine. Even now we stay connected and she continues to be a strong support for me. I made really good friends with Candice, who you saw in the video. During our breaks, the whole group of us shared stories about our kids and our struggles. We saw each other pull through and so we pulled through too. I remember sitting in my statistics class and receiving a phone call that my ceiling caved in. Oh that’s fine, I thought. I’ll just clean up the flood later. The material at Bard was really, really juicy and challenging. I just wanted to keep studying.
Weight Off My Shoulders
After finishing my associate’s degree at Bard Microcollege Holyoke, I was accepted at Mount Holyoke. In May, I graduated from Mount Holyoke with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Oh my god, it feels like a whole bunch of weight is off my shoulders. I went through this and that and finally, finally, I’m able to reach those goals. I had the best audience. My kids were watching me the whole time. They saw me on the bed with the computer. Mom was so tired. Mom thought she couldn’t do it. Mom did it. I didn’t have any support at home. Knowing that I don’t have say, “I can’t play with you right now because mommy has homework,” means everything.
My journey has been rocky, from being homeless sleeping on rooftops, and toxic relationships, to an associates and bachelor’s degree. I know now that I will have stability in my life, I will never have to worry about having a place to rest my head for my children and me.
My next chapter consists of working with children and families who have had similar struggles as me. I just got two job offers! In a couple weeks, I’ll be starting as social service coordinator at Better Tomorrows.
Here’s What I Know for Sure
My children will go to college. That I’m sure of. I’m the first in my family to graduate college. It doesn’t stop here.
