When Judith Navarro enrolled in the Nevada Forward™ Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program (UAP), she thought she was taking one last chance on a dream she had nearly given up. 

She’d always wanted to become a teacher. She worked in schools throughout Southern California as a teacher assistant, playground supervisor, and special education instructional aide. Outside of work, she volunteered for years teaching religious education, eventually becoming a youth director at her church. 

But she put college on hold to raise her three sons. She eventually returned to the College of Southern Nevada, taking courses while working full time for the Clark County School District  where she spent years working in school offices. Her experience gave her a deep understanding of education from multiple perspectives and reinforced the calling she had felt since she was young. 

Her community college journey paused after she completed her Spanish and secondary education coursework.  She couldn’t afford to continue toward a bachelor’s degree. 

“I had decided, ‘You know what? I’m just going to let the boys get their education, and we’ll help them pay for their school,’” Judith said. 

Then an email about the Nevada Forward™ UAP changed everything. 

The funded program removed financial hurdles and the accelerated “earn-while-you-learn” model helped her complete courses while working. Suddenly, the dream she had carried since high school was possible again. In addition, she wasn’t starting from scratch, she was building on a lifetime spent working with students, teachers, and school communities. 

The opportunity was especially meaningful for Judith, becoming just the second person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree and the first to go on to earn a master’s degree. 

The program transformed more than Judith’s career. It inspired her son, Gabriel, to chart a similar path. 

Leading by Example

While Judith was navigating accelerated coursework, long nights, and unfamiliar technology, Gabriel watched from home.

“She was busy all the time,” Gabriel recalled. “She would stay up late, almost until midnight, making sure everything was completed and finalized.” 

Instead of discouraging him, her determination inspired him. 

“She’s always been someone I’ve looked up to,” Gabriel said. “I’ve seen the progress—from being a secretary to an office manager, and now a teacher. If she can do it, so can I.” 

Initially, Gabriel planned to pursue social work after completing his studies at CSN, But after learning more about Nevada Forward™ through his mother—and later meeting faculty while visiting campus—he realized that the program offered an opportunity he couldn't pass up. 

Learning Together

Although they entered the program at different times, Judith and Gabriel have shared much of the journey together. 

They compare notes, swap classroom ideas, and discuss teaching strategies at home. Judith still shares her notes and course materials, while Gabriel introduces his mother to new technology and helpful artificial intelligence tools. 

For Judith, the learning has become mutual. 

“I feel like Gabriel’s going to be a way better teacher than I am,” she said with a laugh. 

Gabriel quickly disagrees. Instead, he credits his mother with teaching him perhaps the most important lesson: how to manage his time through the program’s accelerated pace. 

“Everything’s only four weeks,” he said. “You have to keep on top of everything.” 

Judith also encouraged him to reach out for help whenever he needed it—the same approach that helped her succeed. 

During her own time in the program, she leaned on professors, mentor teachers, and classmates as they worked through assignments together. 

“We connected and stayed together until the end,” she said. “We always helped each other.” 

Building a Legacy in the Classroom

Today, Judith and Gabriel both work at Cheyenne High School—Judith as an English teacher and Gabriel as a specialized program teacher assistant while he completes his degree and licensure process.

But Gabriel is already busy imagining the classroom he’ll soon create. 

“I’m always getting ideas,” he said. “I want my classroom to be comfortable, but I want to make it fun so students are engaged.” 

Watching him pursue that vision has become one of Judith’s proudest accomplishments, and she believes that his journey won’t stop at teaching. 

“I can see him as a principal,” she said. “He has so much potential.” 

More than a Degree

For both mother and son, Nevada Forward™ provided more than financial support, it created a community that made success feel attainable. 

“The program is built for us to succeed,” he said. “All of the support, the cohort model, the financial assistance… It’s built for you to be successful in the end.” 

For Judith, the program represented something even larger than earning a degree. It showed her children that it’s never too late to pursue a dream—and sometimes, the example you set becomes the path that someone else chooses to follow.

As Gabriel watched his mother cross the graduation stage, he saw what was possible for his own future. And before long, he’ll have the opportunity to walk across that same stage and begin his career, like his mother, as a teacher.