Motivated by family, persistent DelValle returns to CCRI to finish what he started
April 11, 2022
Jose DelValle will finally receive his college diploma from the Community College
of Rhode Island this spring, ending a decade-long journey by crossing a commencement
stage for the first time since kindergarten.
The 41-year-old Computer Studies major is living proof it’s never too late to finish
what you’ve started.
A much-needed boost from CCRI’s COVID Finish Scholarship – which helps students like
DelValle who have some college credits, but need assistance clearing the final hurdle
– gave DelValle the motivation to finish his studies and earn that important degree.
An on-again, off-again student at CCRI since 2011, DelValle enrolled for the third
and final time for the Spring 2022 semester and completed his remaining credits to
earn his Associate Degree in Computer Studies with a concentration in Computer Programming.
“This is a dream come true for me,” said the Providence resident and father of two.
“For years, I’ve wanted to go back and finish, but life always got in the way. A lot
of people used to tell me I was crazy for trying. Now I tell others who aren’t sure,
‘Yes, you can do it. You can achieve your goals. You’ve just got to put your mind
to it.’”
DelValle has worked tirelessly for the past two decades to provide for his family,
including 19 years in a variety of roles at T.F. Green International Airport, but
always dreamt of finishing his college degree to earn a more sustainable, high-paying
job.
With nothing more than his diploma from Central High School, he’s successfully climbed
the ladder at T.F. Green, starting as a dishwasher in 2003, working his way up to
a ramp agent, and now overseeing the airport’s baggage claim systems as a Baggage
Handling System Technician. But his dream is to be a manager, which is impossible
without a college degree.
He enrolled at CCRI in 2011 as a General Studies major. Since he didn’t own a car
at the time, he rode the bus to get to and from campus, often making it back to the
bus stop by the skin of his teeth to catch another ride to work after class. Whenever
he had free time, whether on the bus or during a break at work, he’d pull out a textbook
and catch up on his reading.
The daily grind proved too much to handle; DelValle lasted just two semesters after
enrolling in 2011 and stopped out twice over the next five years, also reenrolling
in the Fall of 2015 to begin pursuing his Computer Studies degree. But reality kept
calling, and as DelValle continued taking on a heavier workload at T.F. Green, he
had less time to concentrate on his studies.
“I needed a break,” he said. “I was just overwhelmed.”
Once his daughters – now 21 and 22 – graduated high school, DelValle’s priorities
shifted. The motivation to pursue a degree became less about proving others wrong
and more about proving to his children, who’ve yet to attend college, that they, too,
can continue their education and earn a career in the field of their choice.
After a six-year pause, DelValle enrolled again for the Spring 2022 semester. Weeks
later, a postcard from CCRI announcing the COVID Finish Scholarship arrived in his
mailbox – a sign, he said, to stay on track this time and finally finish his degree.
“I was still on the fence,” he admits, “but once I saw that postcard, I said to myself,
‘You know what? I’m going to do this.’
“CCRI has been an incredible experience. They have so many options, which allows you
to pick and choose how to plan your day, whether you want to take day classes, night
classes, or even weekend classes.”
Since he and his family moved often when he was younger – first living in Boston,
then spending two years in Puerto Rico before settling in Providence – DelValle never
had the chance to establish roots at any of the schools he attended. Even in high
school, he wasn’t allowed to participate in commencement because he had to finish
one final class that summer to earn his diploma.
Commencement 2022 will indeed be a “dream come true” as DelValle finally gets to don
his cap and gown and cross the stage for the first time in more than three decades.
“I’m doing this for my family,” he said. “I want to show my daughters that education
is important. Despite everything you go through in life, you can still do it. You
can still get your education. And when you do, you’ll see how many doors open up for
you in the real world.”
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