Donlita Cloud

There was a time when Donlita Cloud held down four jobs - mother, wife, legal secretary and student. Work never ended. But "I knew I needed a degree to earn more," she said. The payoff came. In 2001, she graduated with an Associate Degree in Management from TCC. 

That moment was nearly 14 years in the making. But Cloud's a determined woman. One of her children had a learning disability, but she made sure it didn't keep him from getting a high school diploma. She worked full time at law firms but found time for classes four nights a week. 

From the time Cloud enrolled at TCC in 1987, her mind was set on earning a degree. "I wanted to open opportunities," she said. A single mother, she took academic courses until she remarried the next year. She delayed studies to focus on home and family but re-enrolled in '98 and completed her degree work. 

With her degree, Cloud became a paralegal, earning more and making optimal use of nearly 20 years' experience in the legal field. She's a paralegal for a growing law firm in Granbury, where she has drawn on her expertise in management to help set up essential record-keeping and office organization.

Cloud often recommends TCC to people in search of growth. "TCC's flexible hours and affordability" can put opportunity within reach, she said. And there's another, down-to-earth advantage at TCC, she added. "My teachers understood my challenges - working all day, classes at night." 

They expected mastery of a course, she said, but they flexed with her to help her get the work done. "They took my situation into account, and I always appreciated that."