My Education
My Education Was Never a Straight Line — And That’s Why I Made It
I went to so many schools that I kinda lost count.
My educational journey started at Heights Elementary in Pittsburg, CA. I went to Los Medanos School in Pittsburg too, but continued at Heights. I was a good kid, a good student. I always got behavioral awards, Bear certificates, and went to pool day at Buchanan Pool in Pittsburg. I rarely got in trouble.
I got into one fight and had to write lines, and my principal gave me a look that I didn’t want to see again. That was enough.
I repeated 3rd grade in Mrs. Ealy’s class because she realized I needed extra help and another year. I am thankful for that year because it got me through Heights Elementary and to Hillview Jr. High School. That extra year wasn’t failure. It was foundation.
At Hillview, I was a good kid. I did my work. I excelled in U.S. History — my reports impressed Mr. Baumbach. I hated math and home ec. I was always good in English and loved choir and going to Los Angeles for competition. I went to my first dance in 8th grade wearing a black polka dot dress that my sister got me. I was chubby but cute.
The summer before Pittsburg High School started, I went on a diet and lost a lot of weight. It was Overeaters Anonymous and my hard work that helped me start running. I remember track was fun, but that’s when it ended because we moved to Concord where I went to Mt. Diablo.
I actually graduated in 1994 after we moved to Walnut Creek. Las Lomas was not right for me. I struggled there and struggled with math a lot. But I did well with Regional Occupational Programs, earning certificates. That’s how I learned — by doing, by watching, by working with my hands.
I went to Diablo Valley College for two years and loved it. Then I went to Copenhagen, Denmark for school. That was exciting. Even though I left DVC for work, I went to several Heald Colleges — stopping and going to school, working — and at my younger age I was working with Global Teen Club International. My mother and I built something special, so I had a lot going for me.
I think the trauma from losing my mother caused my diagnosis. I leaned more to strangers and religion, and that caused things to spiral out of control in 2009. That was hitting rock bottom. But I was fortunate to work with a wonderful case manager that made three years at the lowest bearable. I went to day programs until learning about the Spirit program. Got my certificate.
And something told me to enroll at Heald College in Concord. I did. I even knew when that school would close because I always followed Kamala Harris. I just made sure to get my transcripts and my degree before it closed. It did close. But I had my paper. I had proof.
I was fortunate to go through issues but made it to Oregon. I can remember every step and everything that got me here. In Oregon I just went to school, then went to Northcentral, and now I’m in school again.
I’m 51. Biracial. A woman who rose from ashes to cocoon to butterfly.
I’ve been to Heights, Los Medanos, Hillview, Pittsburg High, Mt. Diablo, Las Lomas, DVC, Copenhagen, Heald, Spirit, Northcentral. I’ve repeated grades, changed cities, lost weight, lost my mother, lost my way, and found it again.
My education was never a straight line. It was a map of survival.
Every school, every teacher, every certificate, every setback taught me how to learn. Mrs. Ealy taught me it’s okay to need more time. Mr. Baumbach taught me I could write. My mother taught me to build. My case manager taught me I wasn’t alone.
I’m not done learning. I’m always a PhD student in training — from the School of Hard Knocks to the classrooms I choose now.
I lost count of schools. But I never lost count of the lessons.
Cathryn M. Murray
Salem, Oregon | August 1, 2026
