Striving for a better future

Nancy Regalado

Nancy Regalado realized she was tired. She was tired of watching opportunities pass her by. She was tired of not making more money. She was tired of not growing in her career.

With a son serving in Iraq, a daughter away at college, and two other children in high school and elementary school she decided it was her time. So the Antelope Valley resident talked it over with her husband, quit her job and headed back to class.

After just 17 months, she graduated in June with a bachelor's degree in communications from CSUB. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is possible to get a bachelor's degree in a year and a quarter,” she said.

Regalado, 48, had been working at the Department of Motor Vehicles for more than two decades. “I watched my friend get her degree and obtain a job that paid more than what I was making after 23 years and then she got promoted to a second-level management position,” she said. That was her wake up call.

The mother of four began working on her associate's degree at Antelope Valley College and her bachelor's at the CSUB Antelope Valley Center campus at the same time. “I was able to get my associate's and bachelor's in less than two years, which gives me a very strong sense of accomplishment,” she said.

Earning her degree was not always as easy as Regalado makes it sound. Raising a family can be a job in itself and she had more to worry about than just a homework assignment. “My oldest son just finished his second tour in Iraq,” she detailed. “He was there for over a year during each tour. The thought that I may never see him again weighed very heavy on my heart, but he's back safely for which we thank God.”

Regalado isn't finished with the blue and gold just yet. “I have enrolled in the master's of science in administration online program at CSUB so my next step is to obtain a master's degree while working at my new job,” she said.