“They believed in me more than I believed in myself.”
These powerful words from Raquel capture the essence of what happens when a community refuses to give up on someone. On May 10th, Raquel accomplished something extraordinary – she became the first person in her family to graduate from college, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in professional writing with a creative writing minor from the University of Montana Western.
But this milestone represents far more than academic achievement. It symbolizes the breaking of generational cycles and the power of invested relationships that define CLDI’s approach to community transformation on Billings’ South Side.
A Relationship That Started in Sixth Grade
Kaylee, CLDI’s Internship Director, and her husband Drew have known Raquel since she was in sixth grade, walking alongside her through the Youth Works program and eventually becoming her adoptive parents and mentors. Their journey together has been marked by the kind of deep, authentic relationship that transforms lives.
“We had the great honor and privilege of getting to take her to her college orientation and move her into her dorm room,” reflects Kaylee. “It’s so incredible to think that here we are seeing her walk across that stage and now being a college graduate. It’s really incredible.”
College Challenges
One moment stands out as particularly pivotal in Raquel’s college journey: “I remember one particular moment I had called Kaylee and Drew, and I was crying, and I wanted to come home,” Raquel recalls. She had lost her housing and was facing the prospect of couch surfing among college students immersed in the drinking scene. Feeling defeated and overwhelmed by the practical challenges of college life, she reached out to Kaylee and Drew in tears, ready to give up on her education entirely.
But Kaylee and Drew’s response demonstrated the heart of invested relationships. Rather than simply telling her to tough it out or allowing her to quit when things got difficult, they offered practical support while refusing to let her abandon her dreams. Their response was both supportive and firm: “We will literally pay for an Airbnb for you, but you need to stay and finish the degree you’ve started.”
“I think it really stuck with me because they were willing to see how far I could go in life, and they believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself at that moment,” says Raquel.
The Math Mountain: Four Attempts to Success
Academic challenges tested Raquel’s determination repeatedly. Mathematics became her greatest obstacle, requiring multiple attempts and tutoring to overcome.
“I, for some reason, wasn’t passing the classes and when I had taken it, I failed. Took it a second time, failed again. Took it a third time and I even remember Kaleb sitting me down in the Youth Works office and we were just going over everything that I had learned, different ways that I could learn the material. Ended up failing it again, but took it a fourth time and I passed. Fourth time, as it turns out, is the charm.”
Tragedy Strikes: The Loss of Her Mother
The most significant challenge during college came when Raquel faced the devastating loss of her mother.
“I remember waking up one morning and my family was just calling me and calling me and they told me that I needed to come home so I just rushed down here from Western, and it had to do with my mom. She was not doing well. She ended up being in a coma when I got to the hospital, and no one had really explained to me what was going on.”
When the doctor delivered the devastating news that family members should come if they wanted to say goodbye, Raquel’s world shattered. “The doctor had come into the room and said if there’s anyone else, any other family that should be here, now would be the time. And I just remember breaking down crying because then in my heart, I think I knew that this was not good.”
The week that followed was a blur of funeral preparations and grief. “I went home and I slept downstairs, but at around I think 12, Kaylee’s phone goes off. I hear it, and I could hear her coming down the stairs, and at that point I knew that my mom had not made it.”
Present in the Darkest Hour
“Over the next course of a week it was rush, rush, rush to get funeral things in order. It was really hard. I feel like I was in and out of reality a lot at the time. I hadn’t really processed it until the viewing, which Kaylee and Drew had come to for me.”
“My brother and I had walked up to say our final goodbyes and for some reason I just couldn’t leave. I remember just crying and begging Drew like ‘I’m not ready,’ but you know no one’s ever ready to lose a parent.”
Kaylee and Drew’s presence during this moment – physically walking alongside Raquel through her darkest hour – exemplifies what love looks like in action. Acts like this are why the relationship between Raquel and her CLDI family has deepened over the years, and why Raquel recently brought her boyfriend to meet them for dinner, saying, “They showed me what love looks like. They’re who I want to be like for my own family someday.”
The Ripple Effect: Giving Back at Montana Youth Challenge
Today, Raquel’s transformation is creating ripples of hope through the community. During college, she began working at Montana Youth Challenge, the same program for at-risk youth that once helped her.
“During high school I went to Montana Youth Challenge, which is a quasi-military academy for at-risk youth. I’m very thankful that I went because it taught me a lot about life and during college I actually applied and got to work with the youth.”
Working with young people from similar backgrounds became deeply meaningful for Raquel. “One of the things that sticks out to me is hearing all these kids’ stories that come from different backgrounds, but there was one girl in particular that was having a rough day. She ended up coming up to me and yelling at me and saying that, you know, I don’t know her story and I’m just going to leave like everyone else. And that really hit me because I remember saying that to someone else,” Raquel says as she glances at Kaylee.
Instead of walking away, Raquel invested in the relationship. “And I was determined to prove this youth wrong. Over the course of the months, I stuck with her. We went over different coping methods, coping skills, and by the time she graduated, she came up to me and thanked me for my hard work and for not giving up, and in my heart, I’m very proud of us both.”
A Story That’s Just Beginning
Raquel’s story demonstrates what becomes possible when a community invests in people for the long haul – believing in their potential even when they can’t see it themselves, showing up in the darkest moments, and celebrating the victories that seemed impossible just years before.
Whether it was tutoring her through math, refusing to let her quit when college felt overwhelming, holding her through the devastating loss of her mother, or celebrating as she walked across the graduation stage, this community has demonstrated that real transformation happens in the context of relationship.
“I’m very thankful for everyone that has supported me through this journey,” reflects Raquel. “I recognize that I’m not who I was before, but my story’s not over and I’m going to continue to be a positive role model for others.”
