Sierra T. remembers being pregnant, hot, stressed and late for her Portland State commencement in 2017. She barely made it through the crowds at the MODA Center in time to walk in the ceremony with her classmates. She never guessed it would take another four and a half years for her to officially graduate. On that warm Sunday in June, she had a toddler on one hip, a baby due in September, and her entire family there to celebrate. She thought she could easily finish up her last few classes in the fall. But that turned out to be nearly impossible with a newborn, and she kept putting it off. One year turned into two, then three and four. She marked the time with her son’s birthdays, vowing to complete her degree before he turned five. “Having kids and being a young mother definitely hindered my timeline, but it was always a goal that I had,” Sierra said. (She prefers not to use her last name for privacy reasons.) “I think it’s important as a person of color to have a degree, and for me it was something I had to do.” Her experience shows how hard it can be for students to come back to college after a long absence and how meaningful a college degree can be—no matter how long it takes to finish. by Suzanne Pardington Effros SPRING 2022 // 29
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