Single Dad with Paraplegia Fought Death and Won
Jesus Ayala is a 31-year-old single father. He is a 10-year survivor of a violent
crime that left him with paraplegia. When Jesus was shot in the chest in 2008, he
almost lost his life – twice. The first time he bled out, and the second time his
heart stopped. For Jesus, there is no such thing as quitting, or giving up. Going
through all these shortly after the birth of his daughter made single parenting especially
challenging, but she is a major reason he works hard, and continues pushing towards
his goals.
When he enrolled at Cerritos College, he didn’t have hopes of acquiring an A.A. degree or certificate. He came for the simple fact that he wanted to improve his spelling. “My thought was to take one class and see if I had the ability to pass it,” he said.
Jesus’ journey hasn’t been easy. As the recipient of the Cerritos College Foundation's Darleene Gomez Memorial Scholarship, his life has come full circle. “The scholarship is another reminder that I am at Cerritos College for a reason, that I do belong here, and that college is for me,” said Jesus.
Jesus is the first person in his family to go to college. He is looking forward to graduating from Cerritos College with an A.A. in sociology. Jesus hopes to transfer to UCs L.A., Riverside or Merced.
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