When you’re a busy parent of two, finding a way to pursue a college education can be a challenge. But with determination, Houston Community College’s flexible scheduling, and HCC Foundation scholarships, Monica Blanton made it happen.

Monica graduated from Bellaire High School in the 1980s. The daughter of a single mom, she had little money or awareness of the educational options available to her at the time. She attended a vocational school to obtain entry-level business skills, but over the years she found herself yearning for a higher education.

“You get married, you have kids, and you can lose yourself,” says Monica. “I needed to do something for me.”

She learned about HCC programs through her employer of 18 years, MD Anderson Cancer Center, which encourages its employees to continue their education. She started taking classes part time while keeping her full-time job. “HCC worked wonderfully for me as a working adult trying to pursue an education—the online courses were a great blessing,” she says. “Sometimes I didn’t get to bed until 2:00 in the morning, but it was very much worth it.”

In 2006, Monica’s twins, now grown, watched her cross the stage to accept her Associate Degree in Business Administration. “It was good for my children to see all Mom could handle—participating in their lives, staying involved in church, and studying for school,” she says. “And whenever I got stuck or tired, they kept me going.”

Also helpful in keeping Monica going were several scholarships she received after applying for them through the HCC Foundation website, www.hccsfoundation.org.

Although tuition costs for a four-year institution are more daunting than those at HCC, Monica is making plans to continue her education, possibly in business health management, social work, or counseling.

In the meantime, like many HCC alumni, she has become an ambassador for the options the college offers other Houstonians—and of the possibilities that can be realized when people dare to believe in themselves.