For student parents, graduating in the midst of a pandemic means beating the odds

Charity Machado had her first child, Cali, at the age of 15. She was determined, however, to make it through high school and then college. Earlier this month, Machado graduated from the nursing program at California State University Stanislaus. Machado is the exception. More than half of parenting college students drop out before attaining a degree or credential. For these families, graduating during a pandemic is a special victory. Their experiences also shed light on how California could better support the growing ranks of student-parents.