But the next day Lupe woke with
fresh determination. “I was motivated by love of my kids,” she said. “I was not going
to quit.” She got up; made breakfast for
her kids, husband, and grandparents;
saw her children and husband off for the
day; and started out again. “I remember
walking to the bus stop, past a dog that
always scared me to death, and heading
back to the college. The lady I spoke to
said, ‘I told you, we can’t do anything
for you without a high-school degree.’
But as I left the building, I went up to
the first Spanish-speaking student I saw.
His name was Gabito. I said, ‘Who really
makes the decisions around here?’ He
said, ‘The registrar.’” Since she hadn’t
had any luck in the office building, Lupe
decided to take a more direct approach.
She asked Gabito to point out the
registrar’s car in the parking lot. For the
next two hours she waited beside it until
its owner showed up.