San Diego City College has given 35-year-old Elizabeth Tautuiaki hope. It has provided her with a foundation. It has helped her persevere. It has made her stronger because when she walks around campus, she sees students like her.
It may have saved her life.
Formerly homeless, Tautuiaki is now on a path toward earning a degree in social work, determined to transfer to San Diego State University, her sights set on thriving in a profession where she can counsel those challenged by substance abuse.
She is, she said, laser focused on paying it forward.
“Living in my car, on the streets, and in hotels, I’ve seen poverty, I’ve seen hunger, I’ve seen children involved in prostitution,” Tautuiaki said. “I’ve seen the barriers people deal with in getting financial assistance. I’ve seen people coming out of prison and going back in for a lack of hope. All of that is motivating me. But to do that, I had to make a change; I had to change myself.”
That change happened, she said, when Tautuiaki enrolled at City and redoubled her efforts to give up drugs and alcohol. When not in school, she’s working full time as an overnight mentor at North County Serenity House in Escondido, an oasis providing comprehensive treatment services for a diverse range of women struggling with substance use and mental health conditions. She also attends meetings with support groups. At City, she’s active with the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Alliance, a support group looking after the well-being of any student looking for community, and EOPS. She’s found a mentor in Kirin Macapugay, a City professor of social work committed to uplifting forgotten communities by working with them in forging connections and tapping into their strengths.
“She has been my strength,” Tautuiaki said. “She’s been an inspiration.”
Said Macapugay:
“Like so many of our students, Elizabeth represents the best of City College – grit, perseverance, determination, and grace in the face of struggle. She did not have an easy life, and instead of giving up, she turned to us to support her on a new journey, where she can change her pains to purpose. It is an incredible honor seeing her and others like her show up on our campuses every day, ready to learn, making the impact they want on the world. Learning to become a social worker is not easy. We are committing ourselves to showing compassion and care in a time when we are taught to be otherwise, but students like Elizabeth give me hope that there will always be people trying to do good work. She is an incredible human being and I could not be more proud of her.”
It is words like those that keeps Tautuiaki focused. She’s now living with her mom, a full-time caregiver, in Lakeside. Her three children – 15, 14, and 12 – live with their father.
“I know a lot of people are not religious or are atheists, but something greater than myself has helped me to be here at City today,” Tautuiaki said. “God has been so good to me. He’s shown me that it’s okay to reach out and ask for help. It’s okay to smile and be who I truly am inside. He’s shown me how every day is a new gift.”