By DANIELE HAMAMDJIAN Special to The Daily Press
She is 29 years old and was raised by her blind grandmother. She graduated from Santa Monica College this week after four years of cleaning office buildings. During that time, she also underwent cervical cancer treatment, for which she owes $47,000, all the while being a single mother to four children.
Oneida Rodriguez stood in tears at Corsair Stadium last Tuesday as she received special recognition at the college’s 74th commencement ceremonies. For Rodriguez, who hardly fits the profile of an average student, earning a certificate in early childhood education is more than an academic accomplishment — it was bringing to life a dream and a promise she made to her four children in a hospital room six years ago.
Although she was born in the United States, Rodriguez spent the first 14 years of her life in Michoacan, Mexico. There she was left behind by her then 24-year-old mother, Aurora Mata, to care for her ill grandmother. While Mata worked in California fields picking grapes, Rodriguez grew exceptionally close to her grandmother, whom she referred to as her real mother.
Mata returned for her daughter in the summer of 1988 and together they headed to Fresno. The transition was difficult for Rodriguez, who was then a junior in high school, but she soon found comfort in the arms of Juan Oblea, a gardener she met while waiting for the bus every day.
By the age of 17, Rodriguez had married and given birth to her first child, Karina. The SMC student found motherhood to be a blessing.
“I married without love, I married for a family,” she said.
Rodriguez received a hard blow on the morning of July 20, 1995. Before going into labor with her third child, Jocelyn, she learned her grandmother had passed away only moments earlier.
“I had no reason to live... the person who is there for you is no longer there,” recalled Rodriguez. That same year, she divorced Oblea.
After a series of odd jobs and another tumultuous relationship, Rodriguez had her fourth child, Daisy. “These experiences make you grow and from that point on, my life changed for good,” she explained.
The mother of four described going through labor by herself as the hardest time of her life.
“I was a mom without an education, and I was ignorant.... I never even read a book to them because I didn’t think that meant being a mom,” said Rodriguez. “I made a promise at the hospital to my four children that our lives were going to be different,” she added.
“I was a mom without an education, and I was ignorant... I never even read a book to them because I didn’t think that meant being a mom. I made a promise at the hospital to my four children that our lives were going to be different.”
Less than two weeks later, she found a job at Molly Maid and began cleaning houses. She was making $380 a week, working a minimum of 10 hours every day.
“My dream was to finish my education,” she said. Twice, Rodriguez enrolled at SMC and dropped out thinking it wasn’t for her. In the spring of 2000, after saving enough money, she became a full-time student.
A year into her studies, she dealt with yet another blow. With no health insurance to support her, 25-year-old Rodriguez was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had ignored the abdominal pains in the beginning, thinking she was only gaining weight. Friends applied for loans that enabled her to undergo a successful surgery. A week later, she showed up to class in a wheelchair, leaving her teacher and classmates in disbelief.
“I just want to pass this class,” she told the teacher. Despite intensive chemotherapy that resulted in hair loss, being able to go to school was her biggest motivation, she said.
Her perseverance pulled her through it all. Rodriguez is beginning a job as a master teacher at the Sunshine Learning Center in Los Angeles. Here, the Santa Monica Daily Press caught up with her to talk about her experiences.
Describe a day in the life of Oneida. “A normal day was when I ate — I’m crying, but these are only tears of joy because these days are over now — noodles and cereals. The only thing I wanted was for them to eat right, I gave them the nutrition they needed, and I ate what was left. I would wake up at 5:45 a.m. and go to bed at 3 a.m. I did that for four years. I would get off school at 3 p.m., go home to check on the children — they stayed at home alone — and then I would go to work, which would be from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. I’d get home at 1:30 a.m. and study until 3 a.m. If I have an exam, I don’t sleep at all and drink a lot of coffee. I’m 29, but I look much older. On the weekend, I sleep well though.”
Why did you think it was so important to stay in school?
“It is important because it helps you survive in life. I’m not saying you can’t survive, I did it myself, but it’s the key to provide a life to your family. No matter how old you are, I encourage everybody to go to school. The word ‘education’ is a description of life. I love learning. My message to teenagers: Finish school before you become a parent. You have time for everything else after.”
What values did your grandmother teach you?
“To never give up, always follow your dreams. She told me to always respect people and help those who need help. It’s not because I reached my goal that I can forget where I can came from, never. Always keep your roots.”
What do you hope your children will learn from you?
“Be proud of who you are. Be proud of your culture. Respect and help others, especially elders who are not getting the respect they deserve. I want them to be useful to the community.”
Did your mother ever lend a hand? “I asked her to come live with me because I wanted to go to school. She told me “It’s too late for you to go school, you have to stay at home and take care of your children.”
What is your biggest quality? “I never gave up, I will never give up. I’m a survivor, not of the illness I got...but of the cancer of life. I’m glad that I never used drugs or alcohol in my worst times, and I’m thankful for that even though my surrounding was exposing me to that.”
And your biggest flaw? “Not being able to forgive those who hurt me.”
What is your dream now? “I hope to get my BA in business. I want to open a child care center and help single moms.”
Have you ever seen your father? “One day someone knocked at the door, a man asked for me, and when I told him I was the person he was looking for, he started to cry. He said, ‘I’m your father.’ I told him there was mistake, that I didn’t have one. He had searched for me on the Internet and found my home address. I said, ‘It took me years to realize, I don’t have a father.’”
What is the dream you have for your children?
“If I have to sell clothes on the streets for my children to get an education, I will. I will do anything, that is the most important thing in the world.
“To my children, I am sorry for all those years I was not able to be a full-time mom, for having to combine work and studies. Maybe there were times you wanted to go play in the park but could-n’t because I had to study or because I was just too tired. There was a reason. Thank you Juan and Alberto. Juan, thank you for your support during my illness. And Santa Monica College, I could not have done it without your help.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 21, 2004. Read the original PDF.