Purdy followed her dream, gained success
Daily Bulletin 1/12/07
Simple as that.
Yet, it wasn't quite so simple for Yvelle Purdy, 35, of Upland.
After more than a decade-long obstacle, Purdy finally completed college.
In December, she finished her last class and will graduate from Cal State San Bernardino with a bachelor's degree in communication and a concentration in public relations in the Spring.
"It was a good feeling. When I left out of those doors, I wanted to run out and do something extraordinary," she said. "All I could do is walk and look up at the sky and be thankful that I did it."
Her 14-year-old daughter, Whitney, said her mother's work ethic has set an example for her.
"Just the fact that she works really hard and she worked really hard to graduate, I'm proud of her," Whitney said.
All the struggles to catch buses to day care and school, part-time jobs at retail stores had been worth it.
"It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest," she said.
For Purdy, she feels there are some similarities between her life and that of Chris Gardner's autobiography, "The Pursuit of Happyness," which was recently released as a movie.
Purdy, who is now reading the book, said she cried as she watched the movie.
Now, Purdy wants to share her story with others to let them know they can persevere.
"I just want to help other students in promoting education" she said.
Out of high school, Purdy decided to forgo college and took a job at a mortgage company.
From there it was a series of enrolling and dropping out of college - often for financial reasons.
A native of Milwaukee, Wis., she decided to go to a local community college there after the death of her mother. She received her associate degree in marketing management despite taking a break, for the birth of her daughter.
From there, Purdy decided to move to Houston to attend the University of Houston. She would eventually have to drop out.
At the age of 31, Purdy decided to quit her full-time job, as an administrative assistant, where she was making close to $35,000 a year to pursue her dream.
"I never wanted to be a secretary. I was working for a gentleman who was a tyrant and it wasn't what I wanted," Purdy said.
In 2002 she moved to Upland and enrolled at Cal State San Bernardino.
This summer, after months of struggling to make rent, she was dealt another obstacle. Purdy was evicted from her apartment. Without any nearby family, Purdy decided to just give away all her furniture and look for a shelter as housing.
"When I got the eviction notice I was only 21 credits away - that didn't go through my mind," Purdy said about the idea of quitting school. "Before the eviction notice I wanted to give up but I knew if I did give up I would never go back."
Purdy said she was tired of living from paycheck to paycheck, from welfare to housing assistance.
"My motivation was my faith and (I knew) that if I didn't, I was still going to have the same lifestyle. That's what I`ve been pushing for - for my lifestyle to change."
For Purdy, going to college wasn't exactly promoted by her teachers or at home."My mom was uneducated and she was with no family either. There was no promotion of `follow your dreams.' She wasn't really paying attention to what we were doing as kids, there was no role models - she was just trying to survive," said Purdy, who is the youngest of six children.
The question Purdy often gets asked, is "was it all worth it?"
"It'll be worth it once I see that big paycheck," she joked.
"It's been a roller-coaster ride but I don't think it would have meant as much if I didn't. But I know I fought for that education."