Tonia’s voice: From dirt roads to the ivory tower

Abstract

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I could not and would not be where I am today without the unwavering, if not sometimes confused, support and love of my parents. Both of my parents served in the U.S. Navy, my mother a disabled veteran and my father retired after serving in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Granada. Neither of my parents went to college, but they were insistent on raising an independent young woman who would get a college degree. Some days, I wonder if they knew what they were getting into when they made that decision.