Mary Platero, an Omaha and Kiowa woman, will be receiving her associate degree from South Seattle Community College on June 12.

But the journey won't end there for Platero, 47. She is enrolling in Heritage University this fall to obtain her bachelor's degree and has her eyes set on a master's degree too.

Platero overcame many obstacles along the way. She was in an abusive relationship in New Mexico before she divorced her ex-husband. She raised her four children on her own in Washington, relying on public assistance most of the time.

Now she says her first degree will open new doors for employment. "I see it as the beginning to an end ... it helped give me a voice," she told The Seattle Times.

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Woman weathers tough times to earn degree (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 6/23)