Cruz Mueller

"My grandmother used to tell me, 'No one is too old to learn,'" says Cruz Mueller. "It took me a long time to commit to going back to school." An on-the-job injury finally spurred her to prepare for the career she had always wanted.

"What made me decide to go back to school at my age was to get a degree in something I always what to do and never got a chance to do because I was raising a family," says Cruz. Her goal is to be a counselor or academic adviser.

"I had to start at the bottom of the math and writing classes because it had been 38 years since I'd been in school," she says. Cruz earned an associate transfer degree last summer, and now takes classes both through COCC and OSU-Cascades. She is the first in her family to earn a degree.

"The experience I have had at COCC has been a positive one, and I have enjoyed meeting other students," she says. "It has also been a great experience being involved with the Native American Club and helping out with other clubs."

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