MILWAUKEE — Nine years ago Demy Vargas never pictured herself where she is today. The then 17-year-old had gotten pregnant her junior year of high school and eventually dropped out of school to take care of her son.
"As a teen mom, I didn't have time for school. I did get to 12th grade, I just missed a credit, and at that point, I just kind of gave up," said Vargas.
It wasn't until she noticed her oldest son was having a hard time in school that she decided to set an example. In 2019, she enrolled in the Literacy Services of Wisconsin's GED program and started the journey of getting her high school diploma.
"If I can finish school years later, I know that he could too," said Vargas. "In that time, I completed the language arts, social studies, and science."
Vargas was working on the final math subject she needed to pass in order to complete the GED program, but then the pandemic hit.
"I kind of gave up, I'm not gonna lie. I gave up and I didn't go for a while," said Vargas.
It wasn't until a couple of months ago that Vargas decided she was going to finish what she started. She re-enrolled and recently passed the final math exam, successfully completing the GED program.
"It's so easy to put yourself down and I feel like people don't realize that you have more power than that, and that kind of pushed me to finish it."
"What is so special about Demy is that she kept trying and she did not give up," said Bianca Johnson-Ortiz, the manager of adult education programs at the Literacy Services of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Now the 26-year-old wants to get into the healthcare field and become a phlebotomist, all while inspiring others to never give up.
"It's not easy being a teen mom, you get a lot of people that look at you in high school and go, she dropped out, she's not gonna finish. But I mean, I did it," said Vargas.
To learn more about the Literacy Services of Wisconsin, or to apply to enroll in the GED program, visit their website.
