TERRI OSTERKAMP

Hello, my name is Terri Osterkamp. I was born and raised in the Northern Bay Area and I moved to Hanford in 2000. I am a single mother of two beautiful children; my son is nine, and my daughter is eight.

I didn't think school was ever going to be an option for me. I had about a dozen reasons not to get an education, but I knew I needed one to support us. That is what brought me to West Hills College Lemoore. Despite my learning disabilities and my busy mom life, I took on 15+ units per semester. I had a health scare in the fall of 2019 which tested me in many ways. I wanted to quit, but I was so close to reaching my goal of graduating in the spring of 2020 that giving up was not an option for me.

West Hills College Lemoore provided me with much-needed support enabling me to succeed. Especially, the EOPS program, which provided me with gas cards, school supplies, and book vouchers. I graduated this spring 2020 from West Hills with my Associate of Science Transfer Degree in Early Childhood Education and I finished my degree program with a 3.67 GPA. I'm the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college.

In July 2020, I start at Fresno Pacific University in a degree completion program to obtain my ultimate goal of getting my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Development so I can become a preschool teacher.