A mother accomplished her dream of graduating with a doctorate from UCLA after becoming a full-time parent at 15. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for the NBC4 News on June 16, 2023.
A mother is fulfilling a lifelong dream of graduating from UCLA. Her dreams were almost derailed by a teen pregnancy, but now her daughter will see her graduate.
Sonia Betancourt became pregnant at the age of 15. And even then she dreamed of going to UCLA to become a lawyer.
Her dreams were put on hold as she focused on raising her daughter.
“Of course. who plans a pregnancy at 15, right? I didn't,” Sonia Betancourt said.
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She says she was worried about becoming a failure and a statistic, but she was determined not to let shame or judgment hold her back.
Betancourt raised her daughter Stephanie, and later her brother Miguel, like any devoted mom.
They traveled, laughed and loved, becoming best friends while maturing together.
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“Ultimately, I just want her to be happy,” Stephanie Buelna-Betancourt said.
Betancourt watched Stephanie and Miguel as they attended UCLA, ultimately graduating with bachelors' degrees. Stephanie says she regrets some of that.
“She didn't get the same, you know, living on campus experience. She was a parent,” Buelna-Betancourt said.
But Sonia didn't let that stop her. She applied and got accepted.
“I wanted to be a Bruin all my life,” Betancourt said.
Now this weekend, her dream comes true. She will be receiving her own degree at her favorite school. A doctorate in nursing, after years of hard work and focus.
