Catia McCreary-Rhone ’25
My college journey began in 2009, I started out at another university before attending Trinity in 2011. My family and I went through some severe family hardships which caused me to suffer from an emotional collapse in my education and in my personal life. My grades were affected tremendously, and I was dismissed from the university. For years I suffered from depression, sadness, doubt, and gave up on myself several times. Years went by, and I was hired with the Department of Justice in 2016, after working hard receiving multiple On the spot awards, cash incentives, and outstanding performance ratings, I encouraged myself to try this college thing again.
I questioned myself over and over again before I finally made the decision and in 2022 I enrolled in a program at work that would finance my full tuition cost at Trinity Washington University, but because I was dismissed from the other university I had to write an appeal letter, Which brought on more doubt because I was afraid of getting denied. I got an email one afternoon and my appeal letter was approved and my college Journey resumed. This time I was older, wiser, and determined to finish what I started.
On May 16th, 2025, at 5pm I will finally receive what I worked so hard for, despite all life’s challenges, everything that tried to discourage me, and everybody who doubted me, Graduating with a BA in Criminal Justice with over a 3.0 grade point average, I made it! In this life’s lesson I learned that no matter what you go through in life, no matter what people may say or think there is always Joy in the morning. We have no control of what God has planned for our lives, even though we try to plan our lives to what we think is best for us, God’s timing is not our timing, and the most important thing is to Trust Him, trust the process and never give up on you. This has been the most transformative and rewarding experience in my life, receiving this degree has increased my self-esteem, my career advancement, and my personal growth while balancing work, family, and education. Students of the SPS program at Trinity are living proof that college can be accomplished while balancing life. This journey required prayer, family support, strong time management skills, dedication, and commitment. I can finally say I am a college Graduate; and I plan to continue my career at (FBI), attend Law school to focus on business corporate law and become the CEO of my own Catering/Event Venue. Congratulations to the Class of 2025, we did it!
