Patricia Barajas Cisneros

Mt. Diablo Adult Education

Nominated in 2025

For the first time in her life, Patricia Barajas Cisneros feels a sense of accomplishment. With only weeks to go until she earns her high school diploma, she isn’t stopping there. Her next goal is enrolling in a career tech program in healthcare, and her sights are set on Fall registration. Patricia came to Mt. Diablo Adult Education right after high school, but work interfered with her classwork. As a young mom, her daughter came first and childcare was expensive. She never stopped hoping for more, though, and with her older sister’s help, returned to adult education twelve years later.

Patricia has overcome extraordinary hardship to get where she is today. She is a single mom to three girls now, ages fourteen, ten, and five. When she was pregnant with her third child, she finally found the courage to leave an abusive relationship with the father of her children. For most of that relationship, Patricia felt trapped and embarrassed. She lost everything when she left – her home, her car – and was in a very dark place. With nowhere to go, she sought shelter with her ex’s mom, an arrangement that did more harm than good. A lifeline came when her older sister, Maria, needed her help. And in exchange, she’d help Patricia. Patricia and her three girls moved in with Maria, also a single mom, so that Patricia could care for Maria’s young daughter while Maria was at work. With a safe and comfortable roof over their head, and a new bond between the sisters, Patricia was able to go back to school full-time without financial worry.

Since returning to MDAE, Patricia has worked tirelessly to earn the credits needed for her diploma. She has attended morning and evening classes, in-person and online, and says, “I’m on a mission and I’m glad I can wake up every day and do something that doesn’t just benefit me.” Patricia tears up thinking about how long it has taken her to get where she is today and the challenges she’s overcome. While she was born in California, her parents did not speak any English. She struggled during her K-12 years with language insecurity, worried about mispronouncing words or not having the right words. The past two years at Mt. Diablo Adult Education have changed that. She has a smile on her face as she walks into the classroom. She isn’t afraid to speak up, asking and answering questions. And after a recent field trip to the library, Patricia left with a new sense of purpose: share the love of reading with her girls. They go to the library all the time now.

Patricia says she is earning her diploma not just for herself, but for her daughters and niece. She prides herself on modeling hard work, determination, and self-care. She volunteers at her daughter’s school so that her youngest knows she’s there for her. She is also a writer now, journaling every day. “Adult school,” she says, “has opened up a whole new world. It has done so much for me.”

For the first time in a very long time, she feels good about herself and wants to tell people not to give up. “It’s never too late,” she says. “I’m a true believer and it’s a beautiful thing.” Patricia will be earning her high school diploma this June. On top of her current class schedule, she is taking a Careers in Healthcare class to prepare for transitioning to MDAE’s CTE program. She plans to enroll in the Medical Assistant program and eventually phlebotomy. Because of adult education, she will be able to have a career she’d only dreamed about.

She is dedicating her diploma to her sister.