{"id":19397,"date":"2024-05-01T11:53:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=19397"},"modified":"2024-05-02T13:31:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T20:31:11","slug":"40-something-father-army-vet-earns-history-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/40-something-father-army-vet-earns-history-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"40-something single father, Army vet and lifelong USC fan earns bachelor\u2019s degree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/05\/Jaime_Gomez_Profile_Top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/05\/Jaime_Gomez_Profile_Top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/05\/Jaime_Gomez_Profile_Top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/05\/Jaime_Gomez_Profile_Top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"A photo of Jaime Gomez\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Jaime Gomez, 43, graduates from USC Dornsife on May 10. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to regret not following my dream.\u201d (Photo: Mike Glier.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=commencement\">Commencement<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>40-something single father, Army vet and lifelong USC fan earns bachelor\u2019s degree<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Jaime Gomez, who spent six years in the U.S. Army and 16 years in the business world before becoming a first-generation college student, graduates with honors and an undergraduate degree in history.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Greg Hardesty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">May 1, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Jaime Gomez was enjoying a comfortable life with two young children a few years ago, making a six-figure salary as a lead sales specialist for Frito-Lay Inc., when he could no longer ignore the nagging voice inside of him.<\/p>\n<p>Once a high-performing student at South Gate High School in his hometown of South Gate, Calif., he loved history class and always dreamed about teaching it. But he went straight into the military after high school for six years and then started his career at Frito-Lay.<\/p>\n<p>After 16 years there, Gomez took a leap of faith and decided to live off his savings to earn his college degree.<\/p>\n<p>He quit his job in 2019 and a year later entered Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., becoming a <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/careerpathways\/pre-law\/resources-for-aspiring-first-generation-graduate-school-students\/\">first-generation college student<\/a>. In fall 2022, he transferred to the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, fulfilling a lifelong dream.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Gomez, 43, is graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/hist\/\">history<\/a> with honors. \u201cI thought I would be elated, but it feels bittersweet,\u201d he says. \u201cUSC has always been my dream school. I can\u2019t remember a time when I wasn\u2019t following USC football, basketball, and wearing USC clothing and gear.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>An unusual path to college includes time in the U.S. Army<\/h2>\n<p>Gomez and his three older sisters were raised by immigrant parents from Mexico who worked in the fields before his mother became a seamstress and his father got a job in construction. Money was tight, but education was always emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>But work seemed like the only option for him after high school, so Gomez committed to joining the U.S. Army when he was a senior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t given much information about going to college or financial aid,\u201d he recalls. \u201cMy sisters went straight into the workforce or got married, so I didn\u2019t have anyone to show me the ropes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Less than a month after high school, Gomez was in boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He served two years and enlisted for four more as a specialist who inspected food and later taught procedures, battle readiness, tactics and physical fitness.<\/p>\n<p>His military career took him to all 50 states and several countries, including Iraq and Libya, where he saw combat. He served an additional two years as a reserve in the Army after he landed his job at Frito-Lay in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>But he never forgot his passion for history.<\/p>\n<p>Although he had saved money, leaving his career still felt scary, Gomez recalls. By then, he was divorced with two pre-teen children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was living a comfortable life, but something inside of me was just not right,\u201d Gomez says. \u201cI knew that I could do this, and I wanted to go back to school before I was too old. I didn\u2019t want to regret not following my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gomez got the news he had been accepted into USC when he was in San Diego with his then-new girlfriend, Sandra, a tax preparer who remains his partner today. \u201cShe\u2019s my rock,\u201d he says. \u201cI love her.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s definitely been difficult, but I wouldn\u2019t change any of it for the world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>His children, Dahlia, now 13, who is finishing junior high, and Octavius, 11, who will enter junior high this fall, were over the moon that their dad got accepted into USC.<\/p>\n<p>Gomez got some help with tuition through financial aid as well as a <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/deib\/mmuf\/\">Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship<\/a>. His experience at USC Dornsife has been everything he dreamed about.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s definitely been difficult,\u201d he says, \u201cbut I wouldn\u2019t change any of it for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Professors sing exceptional graduate\u2019s praises<\/h2>\n<p>Several of his history professors have inspired him. <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/jay-rubenstein\/\">Jay Rubenstein<\/a>, professor of history and religion, says Gomez has been a great student to work with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe brings a lot of amazing life experiences to class, and he\u2019s terrifically insightful,\u201d Rubenstein says. \u201cHe has a wonderfully mordant sense of humor. It\u2019s rare to find a student who can elevate the tone of a discussion while not losing sight of the humor that makes the human condition bearable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/natalia-molina\/\">Natalia Molina<\/a>, Distinguished Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, says she\u2019ll always remember Gomez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe tend to think of transfer students as ones that have to struggle to adjust to a new system, and sure, some do,\u201d she says. \u201cBut what I\u2019ve seen in my 20-plus years of teaching is that transfer students often work hard to get where they are and that they\u2019re ready to hit the ground running, and Jaime is a poster child of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adds Molina: \u201cHe was always prepared, ready to engage, make a meaningful contribution, and form community with his fellow students. He brought up ideas and perspectives that haven\u2019t been brought up in class, and sometimes even challenged what I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think people often think that the idea of challenging a professor must be disrespectful, but no \u2014 professors want students to be critical thinkers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gomez says being an older student hasn\u2019t been a big deal. \u201cFor the most part,\u201d he says, \u201cI\u2019ve been treated as an equal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other students, Gomez lived through some of the topics Molina covered in a Mexican American history class, including protests. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never really felt like an old man,\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to preparing to graduate and fulfilling dad duties, as well as helping out his partner with her rental properties, Gomez finds time to volunteer at his local high school, where he\u2019s an assistant football coach and mentors about 80 varsity and junior varsity students.<\/p>\n<p>Gomez has been accepted into master\u2019s degree programs and plans to get a PhD and teach college or high school history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t let fear dictate your decisions,\u201d he says. \u201cI encourage everyone to follow their academic dreams. There\u2019s nothing like the experience I had at USC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/phd-student-studies-galapagos-tortoises-to-preserve-ecosystems\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >PhD candidate finds his field of dreams studying Galapagos tortoises<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n       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student, graduates with honors and an undergraduate degree in history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":19400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,17],"tags":[229,1912,71,285,97],"class_list":["post-19397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commencement","category-student","tag-first-generation-students","tag-hist","tag-history","tag-military","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>40-something single father, Army vet and lifelong USC fan earns bachelor\u2019s degree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Undergrad spent 6 years in the U.S. Army and 16 years in the business world before becoming a first-generation college student and graduating 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