TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For most students at Pima Community College's graduation, the ceremony marks the end of exams and late-night study sessions. But for Sendalia Perez, a mother of three and recovering addict, it’s a milestone long in the making.
Perez has been sober for 23 years and worked as a behavioral health tech at a psychiatric hospital. But a serious on-the-job injury left her bedridden for over a year and unsure of what was next.
“A patient shoved me through a locked door,” Perez says. “My spine was busted in a disc and I laid in bed for about a year and a half… I decided to go back to school.”
She leaned on her family and recovery groups to get through the difficult days. Her kids also became part of her motivation.
“They liked that I was doing my homework too,” she says. “It was a back-and-forth, teaching each other.”
Now, Perez is not only graduating, but she’s preparing to transfer to Arizona State University to pursue a master’s degree in social work.
“I’ve had a plethora of trauma in my life,” she said. “I want to show that we can recover.”
Graduation takes place Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center.
COMMENCEMENT DETAILS | PCC Commencement coming to Tucson Convention Center
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