With the hot, intense heat of summer comes the most dignified, enriching experience of the year. One mother awaits the June 6 graduation of her twin boys, ready to adorn herself in the royal blue cap and gown to assume her achieved role as one of the graduates in this year?_Ts ceremony.
“It is excellent to be graduating with our mom,” Nicolas Lippa, 20, Cultural Anthropology major said. “I’m excited; we are extremely proud of her.”
The twin brothers began attending EC with their mother in the fall of 2005, following their graduation from high school.
“I would go to RateMyProfessor.com to check out the professors before deciding to take classes with them,” Lisa Youngworth, 46, General Studies major said. “Then I would recommend those instructors to my boys. There were also times when they recommended instructors to me.”
Youngworth has been attending EC since the summer of 2004. In addition to her role as a mother and a part-time student, Youngworth has worked a fulltime job at the Toyota Corporation for 10 years.
“I decided to go back to school because my company offers tuition reimbursement,” Youngworth said. “The boys were in high school so I made time to enroll in school to obtain my associate degree.”
Prior to coming to this campus, Youngworth obtained her high school education from Rockland High School in Massachusetts. She took courses at EC in 1984 and 1986. Then the twins were born in 1987.
“After the boys were born, the last thing on my mind was going to school,” Youngworth said. “I came back to school in 2004 with the intent to finish what I started.”
Due to her job, Youngworth attends school at night, twice a week. The maximum number of units she has taken per semester is six.
“Being a single mom and working full time did not leave much time for school,” Youngworth said. “However, we managed the situation well. When the boys were still in high school, I took classes twice a week. The boys were very independent but I still cooked the night before class so that they would have something to eat.”
In the time the boys have been at EC with their mom, they have shared two classes, music and art.
“During the classes we shared together, our mom always asked the questions that no one else wanted to ask or they were just too lazy to ask,” Lippa said. “She also helped us with homework and took really great notes. My mom is a better student then I’ll ever be.”
After graduation, the boys will be transferring to UC Santa Cruz.
“My brother and I are moving away, while our mom stays behind.” Lippa said. “But she has plans to move to Santa Cruz after we graduate.”
After Youngworth graduates, she plans to take a couple more courses because she can transfer up to 70 units.
“I am very proud of our mom for staying the course by remaining in school to accomplish her goals,” Andrew Lippa, 20, Cultural Anthropology major said. “She dealt with the stress of a full-time job, being a single mom and striving to be an excellent student. She’s truly an inspiration.”