Paraprofessional program offers life-changing degree

KOKOMO, Ind. - As the oldest daughter of immigrants, Lucy Ponce grew up overseeing her home while her parents worked to provide for the family.

Her degree in education earned at Indiana University Kokomo will help her chart a new path for her own family.

"I was the oldest of three. I helped take care of my siblings, I got good grades because my parents were expecting that, but if I didn't, nobody was holding me accountable," she said. "Knowing my kids don't have to go through that, they get to check the box that the highest level of education their mother has earned is a bachelor's degree, it makes a difference. I can provide for my children like I didn't have growing up."

Ponce earned her degree through IU Kokomo's Pathways for Paraprofessionals program, which allows people already working in schools to continue their employment while becoming teachers.

She had previously completed an associate degree, but with three small children, two jobs, and caregiving duties for her father, the odds seemed to be stacked against her.

"When I tried to go back, there were always issues with class time and work time," Ponce said. The program worked around her schedule as a secretary in the dean's office at Logansport High School and offered grant funding to help cover the cost.

"I had an opportunity to have it paid for and still work, still be with my kids, and be able to get my degree, which would open more doors for my family," she said. "When they opened the second cohort, school secretaries were included, and that's when I decided to go for it."

Even with the financial support and classes that worked around her schedule, it wasn't easy. Ponce's family, friends, and employer rallied around her to make it possible.

"My mom helped, my husband helped, and my co-workers helped," she said. "It's very much a degree we all earned. If I had class, as soon as I got off work my boss would take my kids to my mom's house. They offered to take care of my kids if I had a test. It took a whole village."

She hit her first big challenge five days into the program, when her father died. With fast-paced classes, there was no room to get behind. But as her father's main caregiver, she felt she could not continue.

"After the shock of him passing, I was like, 'I can't do it,'" she said. "I felt like it was time to give up. The professor was so nice and had so much compassion. She gave me an extension. If she hadn't, I don't think I would have continued."

During her program, she became a resource teacher at Logansport High School, which allowed her to put what she was learning into practice. Next school year she will teach first graders in Logansport, in Landis Elementary's dual immersion English and Spanish program.

It feels like a full-circle moment, she said, remembering her own elementary school days. She was born in California and moved to Indiana around the time she started school, speaking no English.

"The little town I came to didn't have any Spanish-speaking teachers, so I was fully immersed in an English classroom with no idea what was going on," Ponce said. "I had a few teachers who went the extra mile, who helped me feel I was smart enough to understand. Because our community is changing here in Logansport, I'm able to be the teacher I needed to see when I was younger."

She looks forward to her family attending her Commencement on May 14 and seeing her represent the graduates as the class speaker. After that, she looks forward to some down time during the summer before school starts again in August.

"This is life changing for my family," Ponce said. "I won't have to work all the time. It's very different going from an office job to the classroom and having actual students to work with. Being finished with school frees me from imposter syndrome. I'm a teacher now. I don't know how I did it, but I did."

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