Single mother improves quality of life for self and childrenMarch 26, 2018

Yasmin Galvan is a 31-year-old single mother of three who was deported to Mexico as a child with her mother and older sister and dropped out of high school in the 11th grade.  That was all before 2012, when Yasmin Galvan decided to take control of her life and enrolled in Midland College’s Business Systems program to pursue a certificate. 

Galvan moved to Tucson, Arizona from Mexico when she was 2. At the age of 4 her family moved to Midland. Her father Martin Vargas was employed as an automotive technician for Midas. 

“My father worked hard so that our family would have a good life in the United States,” explained Galvan.  “He was a permanent resident, but my mother, older sister and I were in the U.S. on temporary visas, and they had expired.  So, when I was in the 3rd grade, the three of us were deported back to Mexico.  We lived in Juarez, Mexico, for about nine months. 

“My mother enrolled my sister and me in school while we were in Mexico, but I spoke very little Spanish.  I was already living in the U.S. when I learned to talk.  No English was spoken in my school in Juarez, and I had to learn Spanish.  I remember studying long hours in order to master the Spanish language, and by the time we were allowed to come back to the U.S., I was making straight A’s while I was in school in Mexico.”

Galvan’s father was finally able to obtain the necessary documentation to get his family back to Midland, and after that, the family made sure to do what was necessary to maintain their residency in the U.S.  Yasmin became a naturalized U.S. citizen when she was 21.

“I had obtained my GED [high school equivalency diploma] when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter Ariana, even though my family wasn’t very supportive,” said Galvan.  “After I got my GED I knew that it would also be important for me to become a U.S. citizen.  Within the span of just four years, I had two more children—a son Sylvester and another daughter Versciase.”

In 2009, when Sylvester was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with severe autism. 

“That was a really difficult time,” said Yasmin Galvan.  “I had three children under the age of 5.  I didn’t know how to make things better, but I knew that I needed to get help for my son.”

Galvan began taking her son to therapy three times each week while still managing to make life as normal as possible for her two daughters.  She started taking classes at Midland College in 2007, but had a difficult time focusing on her studies while caring for her family, so college was put on hold.

“During those dark days, I remember thinking that my parents came to the United States in order to make a better life for my family, and they had instilled a strong work ethic in their children.  So, in 2012, I decided that I could also strive for a better life for my family. I re-enrolled in Midland College and obtained a job working on campus first as a work-study for the telephone operator and then part-time as an admissions clerk.  I became really good with time management!”

In 2012, she completed her Administrative Clerk’s Certificate and began to work on an associate degree. Two years later, in 2014, Galvan graduated from Midland College as a member of Sigma Kappa Delta, the English honor society, with an Associate of Arts degree and transferred to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center where she majored in Healthcare Management.  Her strong work ethic and efficiency while working as a part-time admissions clerk caught the attention of several supervisors at MC. She was offered a full time position before finishing her degree but opted to continue her education. After she obtained her associate degree, she was offered full-time employment as a Financial Aid Specialist. 

It was during this time that Yasmin Galvan took the initiative to get out of her bad marriage.  In 2016, after extremely difficult legal proceedings, she divorced her husband, whom she had been with since she was just 15 years old.  In 2017, she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree.

About a year ago, in April 2017, Galvan was promoted to the position of Financial Aid Advisor.  As such, she assists prospective and current Midland College students with navigating the federal financial aid system. 

“I enjoy helping students find ways to finance their education,” said Galvan.  “I’m living proof that there’s no excuse for not getting a college education.  Students should never let finances get in their way. A lot of students are eligible for federal assistance and don’t realize it.  Midland College is also able to provide great scholarships.

“Working in the Financial Aid office and helping students has prompted me to start assisting people with their income tax returns.  I’m in the process of getting certified as a tax preparer and starting a small seasonal income tax preparation business.  My father gave me that idea.  He opened his own muffler shop in Midland in 2008 and has been successful in his endeavors. With his guidance, I hope to succeed in starting my own small business.”

Even though Yasmin Galvan has obtained two degrees and a certificate in the past 6 years, she isn’t stopping her educational pursuits.  Her next goal is to enroll in Texas Woman’s University’s online master’s degree program in Speech Language Pathology.

“My son’s autism diagnosis has sparked my interest in healthcare,” explained Galvan.  “He is now 10 years old, and nonverbal.  However, the speech pathologists and occupational therapists who have worked with him have done a great job in finding other methods for him to communicate with us. 

“It’s been a long, hard journey.  My children are the reason I keep striving to make life better.  I’ve learned that life doesn’t get better by chance—it gets better by change.”