Maria Arredondo
Maria Arredondo’s day begins well before her family wakes up at around 6 a.m. In her home in Los Baños, the quiet of early morning is filled with motion — prepping bottles, packing lunches and diaper bags, dressing little ones and setting intentions for the hours ahead. It’s in these first moments of the day that Arredondo steps into her most important role: Mom.
A mother of six, a wife, a full-time student and a future leader in criminal justice, Arredondo is redefining what student success looks like for her family.
Arredondo is a senior at Fresno State majoring in criminology with an emphasis in corrections. She transferred from Gavilan College in Gilroy, where she earned her associate’s degree in administration of justice. Now, she commutes Los Baños to Fresno State multiple times a week while raising her children and step-children, ranging in age from 9 months to 14 years old, with her husband Uziel, who friends and family affectionately call Uzi.
“I’m a parent first and a student second,” said Arredondo, firmly. “If my baby wakes up from his nap while I’m mid-assignment, the laptop closes. That’s just how it is. I’m not going to do either of those things (school and parenting) halfway.”
Arredondo’s approach to school is as intentional as her parenting. She’s a planner — down to the loads of laundry and the timing of nap schedules. She leans heavily on structure and preparation to make space for her academic goals. However, she also creates structure and time to take care of herself, she said. Meditation before bed or having her favorite kind of coffee while studying are all small wins or actions she does to ensure that – while she is taking care of everyone else – she is also taking time to invest in her own mental and physical health.
While five of her six classes are online, she knows exactly how to carve out moments for learning between diaper changes and bedtime routines or helping her older kids with their class projects. “During nap time, I tackle as many class assignments as I can,” Arredondo said. When her husband gets home, the roles shift from parent to student, and she heads to a local coffee shop around the corner from her house to study. “I would typically stay there until they closed, so I was big on the late-night study sessions.”
For Arredondo, it’s all about staying ahead. “If I get the cleaning done a day early, that’s two extra hours later in the week I can spend writing a paper or doing discussion posts,” she explained. “But even with the planning, none of it works without support. I have such an amazing family, friends and support system that are right there alongside me.”
And that support runs deep. From her husband, who handles the evening chaos when she needs quiet study time, to her older children who pitch in with their younger siblings, Arredondo said her household operates as a loving team. Her 14-year-old stepson will often step in without being asked, and her other children understand that “Mom has homework, too.”
“It’s a family culture built on mutual respect, communication and love,” Arredondo said. “It’s funny because I’ll be showing my older kids, ‘Look! I got an A on my test!’ And they’ll show me their tests, too. It’s like we are accomplishing things together.”
Arredondo’s journey hasn’t been linear. A self-described “troubled kid” growing up, she remembers being the kid who often got into fights in school. “I wasn’t an easy kid, that’s for sure. I regret the way I acted, but I like to remind myself I have done a lot of inner work and healing, and I feel I am a better person now than I was then.”
Arredondo had her first son when she was 18. She was often told she couldn’t be both a student and a parent, which bothered her.
“People sometimes forget that I am my own person, too. I’m not just a mom, and I’m not your typical college student, either.”
After surviving what she described as an abusive relationship and raising her first two children on her own, Arredondo returned to school at 22 while also being the sole caregiver for her mother, who passed away in August 2019. Her motivation for it all? Her sons — and the unwavering belief that she could create something better for them.
Shortly after 2019, she met her husband, Uziel. “I always laugh at how we met (via Snapchat) and after our first date, it was pure bliss,” Arredondo said. “At that time in my life, I was grieving the loss of my mother, taking care of my two boys, working so many hours – I was very isolated. Every single time we were together, it was like nothing else mattered. He was that one person who brought me peace no matter what was going on in our lives. At that time, life didn’t feel like a game of survival anymore, and I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck – I wanted more for my kids.”
She didn’t just survive, she began to thrive. Arredondo wanted to be a voice for other kids like her. Working with youth during her early education at Gavilan College sparked something deeper. When she met students who were labeled “bad” or “hopeless,” she saw herself — and she knew what they truly needed was someone to believe in them. “I want them to believe in me and support me like my Gavilan academic counselor, Osvaldo “Ozzy” Zamora, did when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
“I want to be that person who believes in our youth,” Arredondo said. “That probation officer or counselor who sees past the behavior and gets to the heart of the pain. No kid is born broken.”
At Fresno State, Arredondo said she found a campus community that met her with understanding, especially among faculty. “I’ve had luck with professors,” she shared. “They’ve been supportive, flexible and most of them are parents, too, so they get it.”
One of the most impactful figures in her journey was criminology professor Dr. Michael Elliot. When Arredondo asked if she could bring her newborn to a midterm, he didn’t hesitate to agree. He even arrived early so she could finish before class started. “My son was 1 month old, and I didn’t want to miss the exam. Dr. Elliot made that possible. He understood.” Arredondo also noted the incredible support from Dr. DeAnna Reese, a professor of history and Africana studies.
Maria also noted her involvement as a parent-scholar adviser. She said connecting with other parents has helped immensely. “I see parents like Pedro Martinez, who is a dad and finishing his master’s, and that makes me feel empowered – like I can do that, too!”
As the College of Social Sciences commencement approaches from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16, at the Save Mart Center, Arredondo is flooded with emotion. Her kids are excited. Her family is proud. And she, too, is allowing herself a moment to reflect. “To my younger self — the one who cried herself to sleep at 19, holding her newborn — I’d say: ‘You did it. Everyone who doubted you was wrong. You kept going.’”
Graduation, for Arredondo, is not the end. She’s considering a master’s degree and dreams of working in juvenile corrections, advocating for youth who need a second chance. Uziel, her husband, is planning to open a barber school in Los Baños. Together, they’re building something bigger than themselves – because, although others may not have believed in them, they came together and believed in themselves.
For now, Arredondo will walk that stage in her cap and gown. She’ll look out and see her kids smiling back at her. And, in that moment, it won’t just be about earning a degree — it will be about everything she overcame to get there.
