Lead by example is a motto in Channi Gonzalessa国际传媒� family.

But, when the single mother of two boys, aged 11 and 14, sat them down to give them a pep talk about the importance of school, her youngest son said something that made her take a second look at her own life.

He told her that it was interesting to hear about how important school is for them sa国际传媒� meanwhile, she didnsa国际传媒檛 even graduate from high school herself.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 a kick to the stomach,sa国际传媒� said the 38-year-old, who, 23 years after dropping out, just received her Dogwood Diploma.

Gonzales, who was born in Clearwater, and grew up in Ladysmith, explained she dropped out of high school at the age of 14.

She was always a smart child, she said, but her attendance was poor, and when she made it to school she found it difficult to focus.

There was drug abuse and addiction in her family.

sa国际传媒淎t periods we were left homeless,sa国际传媒� claimed Gonzales, adding that sometimes they were even living out of their car.

She fell really far behind at school and was often bullied, she said, because of her appearance sa国际传媒� not having nice clothes and wearing shoes that were duct-taped together.

Then one day she returned home to find the house in shambles and her parents and younger brother gone. She was declared abandoned, and put under the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. She moved from foster home to foster home, as her extended family was unable to take her in, and was put into the Youth Independent Living Program.

She eventually found herself holding down three jobs and trying to keep up with school. So, she dropped out.

sa国际传媒淕oing back was something I always planned to do. Much sooner than 23 years. I never thought it would take that long,sa国际传媒� she said.

But, as Gonzales says, life kept happening.

A dual United States citizen, she went south to join the U.S. Army, but was diagnosed with lupus sa国际传媒� a disease when your own bodysa国际传媒檚 immune system attacks the tissues and organs sa国际传媒� and was dismissed.

Then she travelled to San Diego, where her future husband was living, but found herself in an abusive and controlling relationship. Gonzales said, he had control over her passport, and made her help him steal peoplesa国际传媒檚 mail and cars. After getting caught cashing cheques under somebody elsesa国际传媒檚 name, Gonzales found herself with a 93-day jail term.

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Two years after being released from prison, Gonzales was finally able to return to Canada, with her first-born baby, one box of clothes, a backpack, and no money.

She moved in with her grandmother who lived in Maple Ridge in 2009, where she was able to regroup and start creating a stable environment for her family.

The day she had the sit-down with her sons, Gonzales said they made a deal. Gonzales agreed to find a program and go back to school, with a promise from both her sons that they would have to try their very best to achieve good grades.

sa国际传媒淚t was hard going back,sa国际传媒� said Gonzales, especially because, life kept happening.sa国际传媒�

Rents skyrocketed and her landlord sold the house she was renting, forcing the family, which now included her mother as well, as her father passed away in 2017, to move. Gonzales was paying $4,000 a month in rent, up from $2,000. She was also on disability, with no child support payments.

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She went back to school in January 2021, taking math, English, and biology, and graduated in June 2023.

When she graduated, her sons, who are now 13 and 17 years old, told her how very proud they were of her, and her oldest even cried, she said.

Gonzales is hoping to eventually continue her education at the British Columbian Institute of Technology to become an MRI technician. But, she is planning to start a career as a paramedic first.

She wants her story to inspire others who are thinking about going back to school, but are too frightened to take the first steps. If you are working towards something positive, school is a good distraction from life, she said, because life will keep on happening no matter what and school can propel you to a better place.

sa国际传媒淵ou can just exist or keep living,sa国际传媒� said Gonzales. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檇 rather keep living and having forward momentum instead of just being stuck in one place.sa国际传媒�