It's NEVER too late: Trini's Story

It’s never too late

We hear it all the time….

It’s never too late.

Seldom do we see examples of people who actually take that to heart and commit themselves to something more.

Trini Jimenez is here to show you otherwise. This Mexican born Latina returned to school at 50 years old to receive her associate's degree in child development from Fullerton College. I can only imagine what she looked like on graduation day because today, years later, she wears that pride like the finest jewels and I’m certain you can see it from a mile away.

What encouraged Trini to attend college after all those years out of the classroom were simple words of encouragement from her daughter Nancy. Nancy encouraged her to go and she listened. But it wasn’t easy for Trini. In fact, she states that it was really hard and she struggled with the work. All of the classes were in English and with her limited understanding of the language, she found the work difficult. Sometimes she would cry from frustration.

But her family continued to encourage her. They supported her and told her how proud they were. It helped that she had great examples around her, like her daughter Magaly who received her bachelors from USC at 40 years old.  

The encouragement from her teacher's helped as well. Trini learned to see her understanding of English and Spanish as a gift. She was bilingual and able to use her education to communicate with people in both languages. Yes, it was a struggle to learn in English but it was also a blessing to have both languages and an education to help propel her career.

After graduating, Trini saw opportunity after opportunity with her degree and her bilingual abilities. Her family lived in California City, a town planted in the midst of the mojave desert where jobs were not found in abundance. Trini however, was able to get a job as a Preschool teacher.

Something so simple as the encouragement from her daughter manifested itself into opportunity and success due to Trini’s hard work and determination to succeed.

Now Trini is continuing to give back to her family. She and her husband are temporarily staying with her daughter Magaly while Magaly’s daughter Jasmine is in school for welding so that they can help care for Jasmine’s infant daughter. The cycle of powerful women in this family and their commitment to each other is beyond inspiring.

And Trini knows this. She knows that her family is filled with strong women and she is certainly one of them. Trini shares her stories of her life and her feelings in poetry that she writes. She is proud of her work and she shares it with her family and her church. She hopes to one day publish an autobiography to share her story with the world.

Trini Jimenez is an inspiration. She is a woman who took the advice of her encouraging daughter and enrolled in College courses at 50 years old. It was hard, it was tough, but with all A’s and B’s to her name, she did it.

It’s never too late.

Trini Jimenez is a shining reminder of this.

It’s never too late.  

Click the slide show below to view pictures of Trini Jimenez and her daughter Magaly. **Trini is holding her daughter diploma in the pictures because hers was not available at the time of the shoot.

"The Educated Latina campaign is designed to celebrate Latinas pursuing education in all their endeavors and to promoting a world where every Latina is inspired and empowered to seek education in college, career and beyond."

You can purchase an Educated Latina shirt by clicking the link here or the pictures on the right. All proceeds from the shirts go towards my tuition for Harvard Graduate School of Education.

-Sabrina

Do you know an Educated Latina that should be featured? Email me at sabrina@ShesChasingSunshine.com with their name and why you think their story is important to share!

Muchas Gracias!