Mother and son

Marisol Marrero, 51, had quit college when she started her family. She always wanted to return and complete her degree, but it was difficult when her children were young.

One of them, Gabriel Delgado, now 28, took a more traditional route. He attended Reynolds Community College after high school and earned his associate degree. He then transferred to Old Dominion University but dropped out after a year because he wasn’t happy with his major.

After taking off about a year and a half, Delgado decided to go back to college, which happened to coincide with Marrero’s decision to finish her degree. She had already been accepted to UR’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies and shared her experience with Delgado, knowing he was looking to finish his degree, too.

“I told Gabe about my positive experience applying, registering, and meeting my adviser,” Marrero said. “I asked him to join me at the University of Richmond.”

After a little research, Delgado decided SPCS was a great option for him. First, the degree programs allowed him to continue working full time. Second, he would be able to transfer much of his previous coursework, which was extremely important. Third, studying IT would allow him to make a career change. Finally, his mom recommended SPCS highly.

“I was never confident in school, a C-average student most of my life,” Delgado shared. “SPCS taught me to be confident in myself.”

Returning to school was a confidence builder for Marrero as well. “I realized I could accomplish anything,” she said.

For Marrero, earning her degree from SPCS was just the beginning. She plans to continue her education. Delgado is focusing on completing his career change and finding a job in IT or information security. Regardless of what comes next, they both treasured their time at UR, especially graduating together.

“I’m proud to say I walked [at commencement] with my mother,” Delgado said. “I know in that moment the feeling we both had was truly an out-of-body experience.”