Labor of Love: New Mom Graduating Early

Labor of Love: New Mom Graduating Early

By Tim Meehan

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This week, Cameron Aquino will finish her seventh and final semester at Cal State San Marcos, having graduated a semester early with a Bachelor of Arts in psychological science.

Barring a disastrous outcome of her finals, she will finish as a member of the CHABSS Dean's List in six of her seven semesters.

And the one semester she didn't earn it - fall 2024 - she was a bit preoccupied having a baby.

"And I was really close," she said of her near-perfect Dean's List record.

Aquino will walk in next week's fall commencementat Frontwave Arena in Oceanside during the CHABSS ceremony knowing she accomplished her goals while allowing nothing to get in the way of her path.

And her life journey has been winding.

Born in Guam, Aquino has lived in Kentucky, Germany and California. She lived in Germany with her parents after high school graduation before returning to the U.S. and beginning her undergraduate program.

She lived the life of a normal college student, working and earning exceptional grades while living with her boyfriend and his family.

Then came the surprise.

While some students will naturally take a break - her mom was a college student when she got pregnant with her and her brother and never returned to finish her degree - Aquino was determined to not let baby Phoenix be the reason for her slowing down her journey.

"Since finding out I was pregnant, I knew I wasn't going to fall," she said. "I knew I was going to keep going."

In fact, the preparation and ensuing birth of Phoenix, who turned 1 in November, drove Aquino to quicken her pace. To reach higher to prove to herself, her daughter and her support system that she can accomplish anything.

Her near-perfect placement on the Dean's List and overall GPA of 3.67 says otherwise, but it wasn't easy.

"It was a lot of planning," said Aquino, who commuted from Murrieta her entire time at CSUSM. "I went through the previous semester and the whole fall semester pregnant, so I had to plan ahead for a lot of things like taking exams early and completing homework assignments early to give myself a cushion. It was a lot of planning with logistics, but I think we made it work."

After the arrival of Phoenix - Aquino wanted a unisex name for a girl just like her own - she went to school mostly in the mornings while her boyfriend went in the evenings. Gabriel Madrigal is an accounting major who plans to graduate in May.

They received help from his parents as well as friends.

Aquino is also quick to point out how much faculty has helped her in various ways.

In particular, Kathie Sweeten, a lecturer who taught an infant and childhood development course while Aquino was pregnant, was influential. Lecturers Neal Dykmans (psychological science) and Melissa McGuire (history) went a long way toward providing an understanding environment.

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Exactly one week after giving birth, she returned to campus to take a history final. Within days of finishing finals, she took classes in the subsequent winter session.

Aquino said she gets her strength and dedication from her parents.

"I get opportunities they never got to pursue higher education," she said. "Now that she's born, I want to provide her a better life and a better future than even I had."

She plans on applying for the brand new Master of Science in clinical counseling psychologyto start next fall.

She has talked to psychological science professors Lisa Graves and Francisco Flores Ramirez about graduate school as she charts her course to eventually earning a Ph.D. in neuropsychology. She wants to work with military veterans.

Her parents are coming from Germany to share in her celebration Monday. Her brother just had a baby last week and he'll be there, too. Madrigal and his family will also attend.

The marking of the moment will be large, no doubt. But to Aquino, there was never an option of not finishing at the highest level she possibly could.

"I feel very proud," she said. "But I also feel like it's doable. Life just kept throwing things at me left and right all throughout my college years. But it's nothing you can't get past or you can't overcome. It's just life, and it happens. You take it and you adapt and you do your best with it.

"It's the system of values I've had my whole life. No matter how hard it is, life just keeps moving. You've got to move along with it."

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