{"id":17514,"date":"2026-06-24T16:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17514"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:02:52","slug":"santiago-canyon-college-student-rewrites-her-story-with-a-high-school-diploma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17514","title":{"rendered":"Santiago Canyon College student rewrites her story with a high school diploma"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

At 43, Laura Moncada has realized a dream that she put aside for more than 26 years \u2014 she received her high school diploma at Santiago Canyon College.<\/p>\n

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Selected to be the Continuing Education Exemplary High School Graduate speaker at this year\u2019s commencement, Moncada says the diploma symbolizes her determination to rewrite her story.<\/p>\n

She was born and raised in Santa Ana, and because her parents were deaf, the whole family learned American Sign Language. \u201cIt was the primary language in our household,\u201d Moncada said. She and her two siblings became translators for their parents at an early age.<\/p>\n

With no required accommodations for deaf people at that time, such as sign language interpreters in public services, life was difficult for Moncada\u2019s parents. \u201cWe experienced a lot of discrimination, and back then there weren\u2019t ADA laws to protect my parents,\u201d she said, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act which made discrimination against those with disabilities, including the deaf, illegal. \u201cI remember seeing the discrimination and having to become not just a voice for them, but their advocate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then her father lost his job. Though he was a skilled machinist, no one would hire him because he was deaf, and the family struggled to keep a roof over their head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the age of 16, I had to make a decision to help my family financially because my dad had gotten laid off,\u201d Moncada said. \u201cI decided to drop out of high school and go to work. And that\u2019s what I did for my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

She got jobs at pizza restaurants in Santa Ana and was trained to work at Wells Fargo.<\/p>\n

But throughout two decades, she never forgot about her desire to finish high school.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cFor 26 years, I carried the thought of what it would have been like,\u201d Moncada said. \u201cThere was the lingering question \u2014 is it too late for me? Did that chapter pass me by?\u201d<\/p>\n

Moncada married and had three daughters, the youngest of whom, now 10, was born with complex medical conditions, including epilepsy, and required surgery when she was just 1 year old.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI became a parent of a special needs daughter,\u201d Moncada said. At almost the same time, Moncada\u2019s mother had a stroke and required constant care. Though Moncada had worked hard to achieve a high-level administrative job at a local hospital, she made a difficult decision. \u201cI decided to leave my career and take care of my mother and my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The caregiving clarified Moncada\u2019s life passion: She wanted to be a nurse. She attempted to get her high school diploma several times, but \u201clife just pulled me away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Then, last summer, she signed up for online classes at SCC\u2019s Division of Continuing Education. \u201cI knew it wasn\u2019t going to be easy, but I told myself, you know, I am not getting any younger, and I know the time\u2019s going to pass anyway. So, with the support of my husband, my dad and my kids, I locked in and I completed two years of high school in two semesters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her teachers appreciated having Moncada as a student. \u201cShe is bright and very capable,\u201d said science instructor Samara Silva. \u201cI admire her for all she has done and sacrificed to help her family \u2014 for her parents and her children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura was wonderful to work with,\u201d said math instructor Berenice Diaz-Escoto. \u201cIn our first class discussion, students reflect on strengths that can support their success. Laura mentioned having patience and a positive mindset, and she consistently drew on these strengths during the semester. She embraced each week\u2019s lessons, ready to put in time and effort, even when she encountered challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moncada received scholarships from the Irvine-based Waltmar Foundation and the SCC Continuing Education Scholarship Foundation. She is grateful for the support at SCC, particularly continuing education counselor Rosalba Hernandez, who helped guide Moncada every step of the way.<\/p>\n

SCC\u2019s Continuing Education program offers a wide variety of classes for adults to help them reach their goals, such as attaining a high school diploma or gaining workforce or technical skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of where I\u2019m at right now,\u201d Moncada said. \u201cI just knew that I wanted to rewrite my story, that I wasn\u2019t finished yet.\u201d She is on track to begin working toward her AA degree with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have this passion of wanting to help those in need, especially those who are special needs or in the deaf community,\u201d she said. \u201cI would really like to come full circle and give back in a clinical role as a nurse and save people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Laura Moncada was the Continuing Education Exemplary High School Graduate speaker at this year\u2019s commencement on June 5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSantiago Canyon College student rewrites her story with a high school diploma - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17514\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santiago Canyon College student rewrites her story with a high school diploma - 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