Ospierrenida ‘Nida’ Pierre wasn’t going to let anything stop her. Not the harrowing, 3,000-mile odyssey she endured mostly on foot during an often grueling 18 months to reach the U.S. border. Not the shortage of cash that prompted the refugee to stop in towns along the way, young daughter in tow, to work at odd jobs needed to fund the next leg of her journey. Not the uncertainty of not knowing what she would find when she finally reached the land of hoped-for opportunity. 

Today, with the education and support from the people and services at San Diego College of Continuing Education, Pierre feels truly at home for the first time since arriving here in 2021.

“You have to find a way to follow your dreams,” said Pierre, 35, a proud Haitian who grew up in Dominican Republic. “Don't limit yourself.  You can start, you will find the strength to continue, and you will achieve whatever you set out to do.”

Pierre embodies San Diego College of Continuing Education, where 13% of students are refugees, 4% are temporary residents who have been granted or are seeking amnesty, and 46% have incomes of less than $10,000 annually. She also is among the 38% of students who are Latino, the 10% of students who are Black, and among a growing number of students who hail from the Haitian community. 

During this Black History Month, Pierre’s journey illustrates why San Diego College of Continuing Education celebrates the Black community and the contributions the Black community continues to make in America and in our region.

“She represents the bravery that so many of our students here have,” said Kristi Rodstrom, a Continuing Education CalWORKS student services technician who has been supporting Pierre since Pierre first enrolled at the Mid-City Campus.

Pierre’s challenges began long before deciding to leave her mother and oldest daughter, now 18, behind in the Dominican Republic to find the opportunities she lacked since birth. The hardships continued after Pierre and her youngest daughter, now 13, flew to Ecuador and embarked on the toughest part of the adventure – trekking through Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, sleeping where they could, struggling to feed themselves, all while fending off robbers and con-men along the way. 

After crossing the border in Texas and being questioned by immigration and refugee office authorities, Pierre and her youngest daughter were provided tickets to fly to San Diego and moved in with a cousin in City Heights. Her daughter enrolled in middle school. 

Acting on the advice of her cousin, Pierre enrolled in the ESL program at Continuing Education’s Mid-City Campus. She could speak only a few words of English at the time.

“We bumped into each other almost as soon as she walked in the doors,” Rodstrom said. “We started talking, and she was very humble, but she also had grit and was determined to persevere. She was as confident as they come.” 

Rodstrom told her about the CalWORKS program and the array of services ranging from academic and career counseling to student success workshops and assistance with supportive services such as transportation and textbooks. The support has helped her master all seven levels of ESL classes Continuing Education offers, and Pierre now speaks conversational English, the third language she has learned after creole and Spanish. 

“These classes have made my life easier,” Pierre said. “When I go to the doctor, I don’t need a translator anymore,” she says proudly. “I can talk to my daughter’s teachers and her friends in English. 

Pierre began working with the Mid-City Campus CalWORKS program in February. Now she’s paying it forward, helping students experiencing hardships similar to hers find their way.

“The school, the campus, helped me every moment I needed them,” she said. “When I first went there, they provided a counselor. They provided a computer. They helped find a way for me to go to school. Whenever I have a question, there is someone there to help me.”

Pierre is planning to enroll in small business classes after wrapping up her final ESL course this spring. “I always tell myself that I don’t know a lot; I am a constant learner.”

Meanwhile, she speaks to her daughter in the Dominican Republic almost daily. In fact, she says her daughters are what kept her going and remain her biggest influence. “I try to be better, try to give them an example to push to be a better person.”

Rodstrom is among those whom Pierre has inspired. “To go on a journey like that where you don’t even know what it’s like when you get to where you’re going or if it will work out, I mean, that takes a lot.”

Pierre knows her challenges are not over. She is determined to open a small business, perhaps selling clothes, though Rodstrom – noting Pierre’s culinary skills – suggests a bakery or small café might be an option. Either way, Pierre isn’t looking back.

“It was hard,” Pierre said. “When I got here, the language was different, the food was different, my mom wasn’t here, I only knew my cousin. But now, I feel like I’m home.”