KILLEEN, Texas — Both Sylvia Cabriales and her daughter Madeline will be graduating from Texas A&M-Central Texas in May 2024, but the road to the graduation stage was not a simple walk in the park for either woman.
"I got pregnant with my first son at 18 years old so I had to drop out of college" Sylvia explained. "But I wanted to be an example to my kids to pursue their education so I decided to go back."
As for Cabriales' 19-year-old daughter Madeline, she attended Early College High School and took high school and college classes at the same time.
"I was able to graduate with my associate's degree technically before I graduated with my high school diploma," Madeline shared. "After that, I wanted to go to Texas A&M and so did my mom."
Madeline said she was taking four to five classes a semester and her mom said she needed to catch up to her. So, in order to walk with her, Sylvia took six classes for two semesters. While on their road to graduation, Sylvia was hit with serious health issues.
"I was originally going to school for nursing but I was diagnosed with kidney cancer," Sylvia Cabriales explained. "Cancer does run in my family, but not kidney cancer."
Cabriales eventually overcame cancer and finished her classes along with her daughter. Now at 44 years old and 19 years old, the mother and daughter are the first in their family to graduate from college.
"I feel so proud of myself because growing up, I was labeled the bad person because I got pregnant and married really young and dropped out of high school," Sylvia Cabriales explained. "I wanted to prove that they had me all wrong and I was going to finish this and I hustled to be where I'm at."
Cabriales also has two older sons who are in college pursuing their education and says both men are extremely proud of her and her daughter.
Sylvia will be receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies with three minors in sociology, psychology and social work. Madeline will be receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology.
Madeline earned both of her degrees debt-free. She encourages other teenagers to pursue their degrees early like she did. Sylvia wants older adults to know that it is never too late to earn their education, it's just important to prioritize their time throughout the process.
"The biggest thing we've been talking about is who's going to walk the stage first," Madeline mentioned. "We're still working to figure that out."
Madeline will be heading to Law School at Texas A&M College Station and both women plan to earn their doctorate degree's in the near future.
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