Nursing student Vanessa Gonzales learned how to be successful in college by advocating for herself and learning to ask for help.
As Front Range Community College celebrates our graduates this May, we hear many powerful stories about their experience—both in college and in life. More often than not, they’re stories of overcoming significant obstacles to reach their dreams.
During our 2026 commencement ceremony, we got to hear from one of these students who shared her own personal experience of struggle and resilience. Here is Vanessa’s inspiring story, in her own words…
Vanessa Gonzales: Certificate in Practical Nursing
I’m going to be extremely honest with you all… Before coming to Front Range, my transcript said something very different about my future—a 0.6 GPA.
Yes, a 0.6.
Not a 1.6 or a 2.6… A 0.6—which might be a messed-up, backwards accomplishment in itself.
You’re probably wondering how a woman with a record like that is giving a speech at a place like this, but just hear me out.
Looking back, it would have been really easy to give up—but life doesn’t wait, and neither could I.
Life Doesn’t Wait
Hi, I’m Vanessa Gonzales, and speaking here today is something bigger than I ever could have imagined. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to give you all a small glimpse into my journey at Front Range.
And of course, I do have to say thank you to my mom, my dad and my family.
If college teaches us anything, it’s that life rarely waits for the perfect moment. Life is going to happen to us all. It happens in the middle of exams, clinicals, night shifts and alarms going off at 4 a.m.
Living With Narcolepsy
A huge part of my journey happened behind the scenes in offices across campus.
I live with narcolepsy, a sleep disorder. Basically, my body doesn’t know the difference between when to be asleep or when to be awake. It kind of just takes its best guess… with about 10% accuracy.
I can laugh about it now, but I have fallen asleep while taking my ACTs and in the middle of dinner at the Olive Garden.
Asking for Help
Because of this, I had to learn how to ask for help through FRCC’s Disability Support Services. These services gave me the tools and taught me how to ask for resources and accommodations so that I could actually succeed in the classroom.
The academic advisors here helped me rebuild my transcript and plan a path to nursing school. When my financial aid was denied because of my previous academic probation, people here helped me navigate the appeal process and keep going.
More Challenges
Somehow, somewhere along the way, I also became a person in recovery and at the beginning of this semester, I celebrated one whole year of sobriety.
During my time in the nursing program, life certainly did not slow down. In the middle of nursing school, I experienced a miscarriage—a loss that deepened my understanding of the patients I will soon care for.
Being Honest, Being Brave
Despite this loss and hardship, and because I had already worked with support services, I had learned something incredibly important: how to advocate for myself. That meant being honest with my instructors about what I was going through, asking for the support I needed, and allowing myself the space to keep moving forward.
It also meant sharing my story with classmates and peers so they knew they weren’t alone in their own struggles, and so they could learn how to utilize the same systems that helped me succeed. For the first time in my life, continuing on seemed more possible than just giving up.
Compassion and Empathy
Every single person graduating today has a story like this.
Maybe it was working full time, raising kids, caring for family, navigating illness, going through a breakup or overcoming doubts that nobody else could see. The challenges we face don’t make us weaker—they make us more compassionate.
Years from now, no one will remember the exams we took and the deadlines we met. But they will remember the people who showed up with empathy.
Not Giving Up
It has become clear to me that where you start does not determine where you finish. Front Range taught me that you don’t have to solve the whole problem at once—you just have to learn the process.
Sometimes—but rarely—progress can be defined by numbers like a GPA. Most of the time though, it’s not. Progress just looks like getting out of bed, showing up, trying again tomorrow and doing the next right thing.
Finding Success
Success is not about having a perfect path. It’s about continuing forward when the path takes an unexpected turn… or two or three or 20.
With support, persistence and a lot of one-day-at-a-time progress, that 0.6 eventually did become a 4.0. But mostly, I’m honored to be graduating today as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
I used to believe that life never waits for the perfect moment. And that’s true—life shows up when we’re overwhelmed, exhausted and not sure if we can handle one more thing.
Challenge Accepted
Now, I realize something else: Sometimes, those moments are what make this the perfect one.
Today, my life is so unimaginably beautiful. With each day that passes, I believe more and more that life happens for us, not to us.
If I hadn’t faced any challenges, I wouldn’t be here today—honest, vulnerable and brave enough to share a piece of my story.
Supporting Each Other
So, I want you all to remember something important: None of us have to handle it alone.
Together, we’re capable of extraordinary change.
So whatever comes next, remember what got us all here—showing up, supporting each other and moving forward… one day and one imperfect moment at a time.
Thank you, and congratulations to the Class of 2026!
