When she started at Palomar College, Terra White didn\u2019t think she could handle it. She was 38 years old, had served time in prison and had a husband and two young daughters to care for at home.
\u201cI was a mess and I went in there just completely stressed and scared of the whole experience,\u201d White said. \u201cI almost talked myself out of the whole thing.\u201d
With the support of Palomar College counselors and the college\u2019s Rising Scholar program for formerly incarcerated students, White thrived. She maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was named Palomar College\u2019s 2025-26 valedictorian.
\u201cThis school has saved my life in more ways than one, giving me a path of success, gratitude and hope for not just my future, but for the future of my children,\u201d she said.
For many years, White thought she would never get a higher education. She attended Carlsbad High School but dropped out in her senior year after she started using drugs and getting into trouble.
White was in and out of prison on a variety of charges until she was 27 years old. She was able to get sober through a rehabilitation program and worked at a restaurant for 10 years, working her way up to become manager. In the meantime, she married her husband, David White, and had two girls: Emma, now 10, and Eleanor, now 6.
When she was seven months pregnant with her third child, White suffered a miscarriage. She was devastated and looked for grief counseling, but professional support was hard to access in a reasonable time. When she finally talked with a therapist, White realized she no longer wanted to work in a restaurant and instead wanted a new career helping others.
She initially enrolled at Palomar College in 2023 with plans to get a degree leading to a career in social work but later switched to psychology as a major. White said the Rising Scholars program offered her guidance and support \u2013 and is now helping her to expunge her criminal record. \u201cI felt like Rising Scholars helped me to feel free from my past,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last fall, White had issues with her eyes and was diagnosed with uveitis, an autoimmune disorder that led to her losing the vision in her right eye. She was unsure if she would be able to continue in school, but found ways to continue her education such as listening to audio books and using a computer monitor to magnify images on her screen.
\u201cAlthough this has been one of my greatest challenges, this has also been one of my greatest victories to continue to persevere no matter what,\u201d White said.
White has decided to continue her education at CSU San Marcos, and she looks forward to fulfilling her dream of becoming a psychologist. \u201cYou can accomplish no matter what with determination,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"