Grad Stories: Colleen's story of resilience

Colleen Kakareka‘s #GradStory is one of resilience and perseverance. Colleen chose Parkside because it was close, affordable, and offered the flexibility to earn her bachelor's degree while supporting her family.  

Colleen encountered many obstacles on her path to earning her degree. Colleen dropped out of high school, earned her GED, and started college at 19. At the age of 22, her education had to be put on hold after her father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away the same year. At the age of 28, Colleen earned her associate’s degree.  

“While working on my associate's degree, life happened. I worked and slowly chipped away at my degree. I had no idea what I wanted my future to look like. I knew I needed to continue with school, but I had no clue where I wanted to end up. I moved leisurely to give myself time to figure it out. Slowly but surely, I finished with my associates. Four months later, I found out I was pregnant.”  

After the birth of her daughter in 2020, Colleen redoubled her efforts to earn her bachelor’s degree. Now at the age of 33, Colleen is graduating with a double major in Business Management and Accounting. Congratulations Colleen!