Her tutor by her side, Blanca Gomez beats the odds

Upward Scholars student Blanca Gomez has completed three semesters of ESL classes at Cañada College with a solid B average, no small feat for someone who left school after sixth grade. 
  
Blanca insists that some credit for her academic success goes to her tutor, Lauren Margolin. As Blanca sees it, "If Lauren didn't help me, I couldn't do this."    

A native of Mexico, Blanca didn't attend middle school because her Mom, a single mother, couldn't afford to pay for her books and uniform. After leaving school, Blanca worked at an ice cream shop and a tortilla factory. Then, at 17, she came to the U.S. so she could work and send money home to her family.