Andii Barnett’s journey is not just one of academic achievement but a testament to the human spirit’s resilience against adversity. Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, her path was not easily paved. With a mother who was always on the move as a traveling nurse, Barnett learned early on the value of perseverance and determination. That change was inevitable, but that change was simply redirection.
At about 9 years old, Barnett embarked on a journey with her mother and sister that shaped her life forever, leaving behind her Texas roots for the promise of a better future in California. Little did she know this journey was the beginning of a series of trials she would face head on.
In 2013, Barnett graduated from the Academy of Civil and Entrepreneurial Leadership in downtown Fresno and, shortly thereafter, became a single mother at 19.
“Initially, I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Barnett said. “At the time, my pregnancy was high risk, so I left my high school job to focus on my, and my son’s, health. It was a lot to navigate on my own. Once he was born, I was just a stay-at-home mom on Welfare, and I didn’t know what to do or how to navigate life.”
Owen, at only a few months old, began to develop seizures, called infantile spasms. “I was told by my doctor at the time that Owen wouldn’t live past 2 years old,” Barnett said. “So, any idea of school or working went out the window. It was, for me, all about being a full-time caregiver and taking care of my son so he could have the best life.”
Barnett said Owen sometimes had doctors’ appointments totaling 30 hours a week. “I was navigating what it means to be a mom, how to be a mom that’s broke, and what it means to be a mom with a crazy schedule and no village during that time.”
Eventually, she was able to find a health care team she was comfortable with, and her son got the care and medication he needed and began to flourish. “He will be 10 this year,” she proudly said. “I was not going to accept ‘no,’ or any statistic about my son’s life expectancy as an answer. I spent hours learning about my son’s condition and advocated relentlessly for his care.”
By 2018, Barnett began to reconsider college due to Owen’s improving health. “During this time, I started to learn to trust others with Owen, even though he was medically fragile. That was really, really hard for me.”
She sought the help of other friends who were stay-at-home moms and explained how she wanted to enroll in college, but no one was comfortable enough to keep up with Owen’s detailed medical routine and diet.
Eventually, Owen started school, and she saw her opportunity to go to college. She enrolled at Clovis Community College in 2019 and took most of her classes online so she could care for her son simultaneously.
Barnett excelled academically, earning four associate degrees with honors over two years in between caring for Owen and her daughter, Emmie, who was born in April 2021.
After graduating from Clovis Community College, Barnett transferred to Fresno State with the hope of being fully online so she could be home and support her children while completing her bachelor’s degree.
“My partner, Justin, was very, very supportive, and that was so pivotal to my success in many ways,” Barnett said. “It was the moment I realized that I wasn’t alone anymore. For the longest time, it was me and [my] kid against the world, and at this point in my life, I knew it didn’t have to be that way anymore. I felt unstoppable, and I set my goals way high. I was going to go to Fresno State. I was going to push through.”
With each obstacle she overcame, Barnett’s spirit only grew stronger, fueled by a mother’s love and an unwavering determination to provide a better life for her children. But life, relentless in its challenges, continued to test her resilience. Her path encountered significant obstacles when she transitioned to Fresno State. Struggling with unreliable childcare and still battling postpartum depression from her two previous pregnancies with Owen and Emmie, Barnett found herself on the brink of giving up.
Justin expressed his concern and encouraged her to take care of herself, but she still felt discouraged and angry. She sought counseling support, but was discouraged when it didn’t help right away, and she ended up dropping out of school.
During this difficult time, Fresno State professor Danny Kim emerged as a beacon of empathy and support, she said.
“Dr. Kim was my history professor in the fall of 2021 and was the first to ask if I was OK and how he could help just before I ended up dropping out,” she said. He tried to connect her with on-campus resources. “Though these attempts fell through, I will never forget his efforts. I am so grateful for the empathy that he showed me, and for the compassion he had for my situation. It’s been years, but I still think about his emails and the efforts he made. I don’t remember much of that semester, but I remember how he made me feel.”
Kim’s compassion would later inspire her to return to Fresno State.
“In spring 2023, when I attended the Wellness Retreat hosted by the Student Health and Counseling Center, that is when I realized how bad I had gotten, and how I needed to do better for myself and my kids.”
By fall, after a firm push from a friend, she re-enrolled at Fresno State with a renewed passion to reach her goals — and because she needed something other than being a mom to put energy into. “I can only watch so much ‘Bluey’ until I’m losing my mind,” she joked.
Upon returning to Fresno State, Barnett encountered other professors who were invested in her success as a student-parent.
Dr. Cristal Tiscadero in the Department of Theatre and Dance, “shared her personal cell phone number on the first day of class and let [student-parents] know that our kids were always welcome. When my son had a medical emergency, I texted her to inform her of what was going on and she excused me from the class for the rest of the week with an additional homework assignment: snuggle those babies.”
As Barnett’s academic endeavors flourished, so did her personal growth. She landed a job on campus at the Learning Center with the help of Dr. Rajee Amarasinghe. She also attended the spring 2023 Wellness Retreat, hosted by the Student Health and Counseling Center, igniting a newfound sense of purpose and resilience within her.
Andii overcame her social anxiety and connected with some of the peers that she sat with for the duration of the retreat. She challenged herself to try something new. “I tried yoga!” Barnett explained, “but I cried the whole time. It was quiet and relaxing. And then it hit me, I was doing all of this for me. That was my ah-ha moment.” She soaked it in and felt an immediate release of emotions she felt throughout the years. “It was such a good cry,” she said. “The retreat affirmed that it’s OK to take time for myself and prioritize myself while being a mom and student.”
Inspired by her revitalized passion for health and wellness, Barnett also applied to be a Peer Ambassador of Wellness (PAW) who encourages students to help create a healthier Fresno State. She expressed that health educator Melissa Norris was pivotal to her success.
Empowered by the support of her community and fueled by her renewed inner strength and purpose, Barnett was awarded the Dean’s Medal for the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a 3.92 GPA.
After graduating this May, Barnett plans to enroll in the Fresno State Rural Residency Teaching Credential Program and pursue a career as a math teacher.
“If 19-year-old me was sitting in front of me, I’d tell her that it’s OK to accept help, not only for your kids but for yourself. It’s cliche, but you’re not alone, and you can do hard things. I’d also say don’t give up on yourself.”
The implementation of legislation such as Assembly Bill 2881 has allowed universities like Fresno State to remove barriers and create a more inclusive educational landscape for parent scholars through resources such as priority registration.
(Story by Alexis Ford-Duncil, communications specialist in the Student Health and Counseling Center at Fresno State)
