Each year, a Student of Note is selected based on achievement and overcoming adversity for the Madera Community College Commencement Ceremony. This year’s Student of Note is Fulisha Oscar.
Fulisha grew up never knowing her father. Her relationship with her mother ended when she abandoned Fulisha at the age of 9. From there, Fulisha survived primarily by staying on friend’s couches. At the age of 12, she met a young man who she believed to be the man of her dreams. A few short years later, at the age of 15, she became pregnant with her first son. At this point, she officially dropped out of high school having not really attended school much through middle school or high school.
As the years passed, she had more children – six total. The father of her children became possessive and both physically and emotionally abusive. After multiple attempts, she was finally able to muster the courage to leave and moved back to Madera where she had grown up.
Fulisha came with only her children and the clothes on their backs. They were able to stay briefly at the Martha Diaz Battered Women’s Shelter. She started working multiple jobs to be able to get herself and her kids into a home of their own. In 2016, her car was T-boned while she was dropping her kids off at school. She was in a wheelchair and walker for a year and, making things even more difficult, she lived upstairs. But she continued to work and to push.
Then came a turning point.
One day, her youngest son won an award at school and he didn’t tell her. When his brother asked him why he didn’t tell mom, his response broke her heart: “I didn’t tell mom because she never comes to our stuff, she’s always too busy working.”
In that moment, she knew she needed one job that would provide enough income and allow her to be involved in her children’s’ lives. The following day, she enrolled in GED classes and passed all of her tests within two months. From there, she enrolled in college and hit the ground running.
Fulisha doubled majored in Psychology and Administration Justice. She is graduating with honors. She will be attending Fresno State in the fall and majoring in Victimology. She plans to open a women’s home for domestic abuse.