Not your typical graduation story — or your typical student
By Kat Tabor
Graduating from community college isn’t quite the same as the traditional university sendoff. For some, it’s a halfway point before transferring. For others, it’s a green light to dive into the workforce. And for a growing number of students, it’s just one milestone in a long juggling act — think dual enrollment, night classes and enough coffee to keep a small café in business.
Some days, I felt like I needed an IV drip of Red Bull — and even that wouldn’t be enough. I’ve worked up to four jobs at once while taking full-time credits, squeezing in homework on breaks and sleeping two or three hours a night. And still, it sometimes didn’t feel like enough to reach what people call “greatness.”
As a nontraditional student, I got married at 18 — and yes, I know what you might be thinking: “That’s too young to know what you want.” But I’ve been with my husband since middle school, and we’ve never been happier. Still, being married so young comes with its own challenges. I’ve had his instructors email me to check in on him — as if I’m his mom — and he’s had mine do the same. We don’t live in dorms. We’re not on meal plans. We’re just trying to stay afloat — together.
I’m now dual-enrolled — well, as of summer term (and yes, I’ve taken full-time credits every summer). It’s something most people don’t fully understand. When I walk across the stage this June, many will assume I’m done. But I’m not. I’ll be back next year, finishing another degree — both at Lane and at the University of Oregon. Yes, I’m graduating. No, I’m not going anywhere just yet.
At community colleges like Lane, students often have to work even harder just to claim a seat at the table. While many university students receive financial help from their families, community college students are often balancing full-time jobs, rent, utility bills and adult responsibilities.
But there’s a silver lining: smaller classes and individualized support. Students who didn’t have the most direct educational path — like me — can not only catch up, but thrive.
We have to fight to be taken seriously. Opportunities can disappear in an instant if we fall behind, and the safety net is razor-thin. I can’t afford to pay for college — so my grades have to be high enough to keep my financial aid. That pressure is constant and unforgiving. I became the first Lane Community College student ever accepted into the University of Oregon’s prestigious Snowden Internship for Excellence in Journalism — and while I’m proud of that, I know exactly what it took to get there. Success didn’t come easy. It required a level of dedication that sometimes felt inhumane. I stayed up late. I missed sleep. I pushed past every limit I thought I had. That’s why I’ve made it this far.
I also work an impossible number of hours — and host live video auctions online every night just to pay rent. It’s barely enough, but I do it because I believe in where I’m headed.
And still, hope is not lost.
There is a community here, waiting for you. On the hardest nights, I had access to Lane’s support systems — the resources that kept me afloat when everything felt like it was sinking. The Titan Pantry helped when we were scrounging for quarters to buy milk. The STAR program helped me pass math — a subject that once convinced me I wasn’t cut out for college — and I earned an A. That still makes me emotional. The Clothing Stash provided basic necessities when we couldn’t afford deodorant. Career Pathways gave me support I didn’t even know how to ask for.
This place doesn’t just “hand out degrees.” It catches students when the system drops them.
So if you’re here — wondering if it’s too late, too hard, or too uncertain — I’m here to tell you it’s not. It won’t be easy. But there’s power in persistence. And there’s a whole community of people who will root for you when you feel like giving up.
