A Texas State University degree in hand, recent grad and local success story Karla Sosa Bell, enjoys the moment with husband Corey Andrew Bell, and their sons, six-year-old (and Science Hall Elementary student) Ethan Andrew Bell and 21-month-old Drake Andrew Bell. (Courtesy photo)
by JIM CULLEN
Give Karla Sosa Bell credit. Five years ago she faced some daunting challenges that threatened her prospects for attaining even a high school diploma, much less the two college degrees she has just earned from Texas State University.
But with will power, determination, and the help of people serious about seeing her reach her full potential, Karla overcame those early challenges and has emerged from the battle ready to take on more. There will, of course, be more challenges, but her track record so far indicates she’ll likely figure out a way to meet them.
That expectation might not always have been there. In 2005 Karla was handling the birth of her son, Ethan Andrew Bell. She was only a junior at Hays High School and faced the prospect of having to meet the needs of her newborn first, the kind of prospect that ends any thought of schooling for many in the same situation. She and young husband Corey Andrew Bell both managed to graduate, but resources were an issue. Among the resources they called on that proved critical were the services of the district’s PEP Program, to provide child day care, and College Forward.
Originally known as Admission Control, College Forward has been helping local students since its founding and initial start-up at Hays CISD in 2003. College Forward’s primary goals are, its website notes, to provide “college access and college persistence to motivated, economically disadvantaged students, in order to facilitate their transition to college and make the process exciting and rewarding.” Stating its organizational belief that “access to higher education is the right of every young Texan,” the program offers orientation to the college experience, preparation for entrance exams, assistance with college applications and securing financial aid, and finally, college persistence support.
Betty Harrison, who previously served as Hays CISD Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, has worked with College Forward in recent years and it was through that connection that she came to know Karla. Harrison says of Karla, “As a person, she epitomizes the goals we have for all Hays students, especially those like her who come from low-income families, are the first in their families to go to college, and have other obstacles to overcome in their pursuit of a higher education.”
As a young mother, Karla found the motivation and energy to handle the new pressures, earn her Hays High School diploma along with her husband in 2006, and enroll at Texas State. “And (she) never slowed down,” Harrison says, adding “even though she married, had another baby (son Ethan Andrew Bell, born 21 months ago), and worked most of the time.”
Harrison’s “never slowed down” assessment goes to the fact that she remained active in extracurricular activities. In high school she’d been a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, as well as staying active with the always-busy Leo Club, the Criminal Justice Club, and the Marine Corps JROTC, while volunteering at PAWS animal shelter and the Kyle Public Library. At Texas State, despite being a young wife and mother, she was first mentored, then became a mentor for College Forward and was a member of the Spanish Honor Society. Bell also worked with the Student Volunteer Connection and the university’s Office of Community Relations, giving awareness tours to middle school students.
The latest chapter of her inspiring story concluded a few weeks ago with Karla participating in a pair of Texas State graduation ceremonies and walking away with degrees in Communication Design and Spanish. This summer, she’s working in the Texas State Office of Sponsored Programs, but it’s only for the summer and – like all college grads – she’s looking for that permanent, professional position for which she’s prepared herself.
Karla refers to the “endless help” that came from College Forward, starting with those college applications, financial aid applications and with scholarship hunting. “Even after I graduated from high school, they still believed in me and helped me throughout my college journey.” That experience came courtesy of the group’s “Persistence Team,” which keeps in touch with its college-admitted clients and checks on their status regularly. “It sure did help me stay focused and see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the recent college graduate says.
For now, Karla Bell, her husband, and two sons remain focused – on enjoying the light they discovered on emerging from that long tunnel.
