How CNM Gave this Grad a Chance to Finish the Education She Started 18 Years Ago

When Rebecca Negron became an empty nester, she knew it was her time to go back to college. 

“I started school at Northwestern University to study pre-law in 2005, but then I became a single mother and my kids were my priority,” Rebecca says. “But after my kids moved out I knew it was time for me to go back to school.”

Rebecca enrolled at CNM in 2019 to study Human Services and was both excited and nervous to come back to school as a non-traditional student. To ease her worries, Rebecca joined TRIO Support Services and she couldn’t be more grateful for the resources and community she found. 

“TRIO helped me tremendously,” Rebecca says. “When I started at CNM I wasn’t that computer savvy and TRIO helped me learn how to navigate CNM’s online systems. Plus, the TRIO-specific tutoring and advising was so helpful during my entire time at CNM.”

Her instructors also played a big role in her success as a student.

“I have a disability and one of my accommodations was to have hands-on, tangible examples in the classroom ,” Rebecca says. “The instructors were so good at teaching to my learning style and I’m leaving CNM with an in-depth understanding of all of the options available to me in the Human Services field.”

While at CNM Rebecca’s good grades qualified her for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She was a member of CNM’s chapter throughout and chapter president from 2020-2021.

Unfortunately she started her term as president just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but thanks to hard work and some creative thinking, the chapter continued to thrive.

“We were able to keep our chapter at a four star rating during the pandemic, which I’m really proud of,” she says. “And I learned so much about working as a team, organization, and networking through Phi Theta Kappa.”

After graduation Rebecca plans to continue her education and eventually wants to earn her doctorate in psychology. But for now she’s going to savor this current milestone, which has been a long time in the making.

“I can’t believe I’m finally graduating at 51,” she says. “I am truly grateful for everything I’ve been able to do, and I will never forget my time at CNM.”