KILLEEN, Texas — Despite financial hardship, one A&M Central Texas University graduate found a way to make her dreams come true.
Michele Ramirez didn't have enough money for food at times which made trying to find the funds to finish her degree seem impossible.
She depended on the food pantry her school provided and her husband of three years.
"There were many times I thought I would never make it," Ramirez said.
"Things just kept happening one after the other and it just felt like, well man is this even meant for me?"
Ramirez started her journey at A&M Central Texas in 2016, but on Friday she will finally graduate with a degree in computer information systems.
She said it wouldn't have been possible without the support her husband gave her along the way.
"Even the few hours we would talk over the phone every day helped me so much," Ramirez added.
That was another hardship both Ramirez and her husband Nathan had to face together: being separated.
Nathan is in the Army and for months on end he is deployed over seas, but that has never stopped him from supporting his wife.
"I tried to be there for her as much as I could, it was hard," Nathan said. "It's still hard, especially being overseas."
But Nathan made sure to fly back for Michele's graduation.
He said it was close to impossible, but he was somehow able to make it work.
Michele said she is hopeful for the future, though she knows there are many more hurdles ahead.
She hopes to achieve a law degree one day, all so she can help people not face the same hardships she did.
"I want to help empower others so they can be successful with the change they want to put out in the world," she said.