Graduate overcomes adversity to win high school equivalency diploma

Gabriela Sanchez was a focused, driven high school honors sophomore when her world came crashing down.

Her father was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. Sanchez left Palatine High School to care for her dad and then she stopped home-schooling a couple of months into her junior year.

Six years later, Sanchez, now 22, walked across the stage to receive her diploma at Harper College's High School Equivalency graduation ceremony. She also served as one of the evening's student speakers.

"I'm embracing this for the huge accomplishment that it is," Sanchez told the audience, which included many of the nearly 90 graduates in this year's class. "This was a big step in all of our lives, and I'm just so hopeful and optimistic about the path I'm on."

Sanchez, whose dad died in fall 2014, waited two years to sign up for the free High School Equivalency (formerly the GED) preparation classes.

"I drove by campus time and time again, but I was afraid at how big and intimidating everything seemed," she said.

"In the end, I knew I needed to continue my education, and I had such a thirst for knowledge and to interact with people again. It was time."

In January, Sanchez began eight-week classes in math, social science/science and language arts. She passed each section of the High School Equivalency exam on her first attempt and earned Harper's HSE Distinguished Scholar Award, which will cover the cost of tuition for up to 30 credit hours.

Sanchez plans to complete her prerequisite courses and apply to Harper's nursing program. She hopes one day to become a nurse practitioner, a career interest she said grew out of the four years she spent as her dad's caregiver.

Sanchez also is working as a student aide in adult education development. She uses her experience to talk of the supportive learning environment and how faculty and staff make sure everyone feels valued. And she tells prospective students of her favorite quote from the Disney movie "Mulan."

"It says, 'The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all,'" she said. "I really feel that applies to so many of us."