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There’s something reassuring about getting advice from someone who’s been in your shoes. There’s a certain kind of hard-won wisdom that can only be earned through direct experience. For adult learners coming back to higher education, it can take some time to get your bearings, overcome any anxieties about picking up a textbook again, and settle into this new groove. Having someone in your corner who’s been through all this herself, who can empathize and understand what you’re going through, can make a big difference. At Rio, this is someone like Marizol Singleton, a College and Career Navigator with Adult Education.
Much like that famous Hair Club TV ad where the CEO said, “I’m not only the president of the company, but I’m also a client,” Singleton has first-hand experience with both sides of the student/staff dynamic at Rio. Before taking on her current role— where she works hard to connect adult learners with services and resources that can help guide their path toward earning a High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma — Singleton was a student at Rio.
“I didn’t have a good experience in high school,” Singleton said, reflecting on the complex emotions she had to process before returning to school. “I was popular but in trouble… They made me feel I wasn’t college material and couldn’t afford college or have opportunities so I never pursued that. It wasn’t until I was an adult and went through the divorce that I took an Excel class at Rio and now I’m working on a doctorate and have a career.”
Eager to prove that she could provide for her son after she got divorced, Singleton enrolled at Rio Salado. That one Excel class was the first step in an academic journey that would lead her to earning an associate degree at Rio before transferring to ASU to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in educational leadership and post-secondary education.
Singleton was able to continue her education at other institutions thanks in part to the tuition coverage, stipends, and mentorship opportunities provided to her as a scholar in the Maricopa Community Colleges District's Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars Program.
"Right now I have a 3.88 GPA,” Singleton said. She’s pursuing a doctoral degree in higher post secondary education for community college through NAU online, where she's on track to complete her program by 2027.
While Singleton said that part of her motivation for continuing her education is to, "better myself to serve the students better,” she also wants to set a positive example for her son— a senior in high school who's interested in studying computer engineering at ASU.
"He's been watching me since I started this journey and he's been at every graduation," Singleton said. "I think that's a big motivator for him."
Article by Austin Brietta