Onika Taylor

Onika Taylor holds a victor's crown. Conferred by TCC last May, it's her Associate of Arts Degree. To earn it, she triumphed against hell on earth - brutal beatings, battered self-esteem and despair. " Tarrant County College South Campus saved my life," she said. 

Taylor recalls commencement seeming like "I was entering heaven as I walked past all of the professors who have taught me through the years...standing on both sides of the aisles clapping for me!" They knew how she had suffered at home while pursuing her dream of becoming the first in her family to earn a college degree. 

Taylor, a California native who moved to Fort Worth in 1998, shared some insights in an essay that won third place this year in TCC's inaugural Graduate Story Contest. 

"I was often beat up," she wrote, "slapped around, called dumb and stupid daily, often hours before I was scheduled to be in class. I would wash my face to try to disguise the hurt ...and would walk into class with a big smile to cover up the pain that I was feeling deep down inside. Often, I would walk in the rain, crying, and people never knew because of the rain drops." 

Other challenges during her five-year journey at TCC: a bitter divorce, recovery from injuries after a drunken driver ran over her, juggling classes and two jobs to provide for her four sons. Death claimed 10 of her loved ones, including her best friend. 

Taylor's now pursuing a baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice at Tarleton State University. With a master's degree in that field, she will become a criminal psychologist. 

"The brutal truth is...you have to stay focused," she said, "keep your hand in God's hands, and always keep the faith that...you can overcome no matter what life deals you." 

-- By David House