By Nikki Dabney, BubbleLife Intern

Margie Deleon wakes up at 4 a.m. every morning. She arrives at Coppell High School at 5:30. She is the only one there. After turning on all the lights and unlocking the doors, she cleans the administrators’ offices until 8:45 and gets an hour break. She cleans up after students as they eat lunch and then leaves campus at 2:30. After driving all the way to Garland, she attends night class from 5:30 to 10 p.m. By the time she gets home, it is 11:30; she showers, eats dinner and stays up until 1 a.m. studying. Then she wakes up at 4 a.m. to do it all over again.

At 43 years old, Deleon received her high school diploma on Dec. 29, 2012. She dropped out of school when she became pregnant at the age of 14.

“I had to watch the baby,” Deleon said. “I didn’t have any help. At that time, my mom was sick, so no one could help me.”

Deleon is attending night school to become a nurse. She holds off on each exam so she can learn more. She took the test on March 20, but it was very difficult, so she is going to school every evening in an attempt to eventually pass the state exam.

“I want to help people,” Deleon said. “I want to try something new.”

Deleon visits the school nurse frequently and admires her job. Seeing the students at CHS read and learn has also been a part of her inspiration.

“They make me want to just keep going and not stop where I am right now,” Deleon said.

Deleon now has three children. Her oldest son Andre and youngest son BJ both work for AER, an engine manufacturing company, and her daughter works in home health care and sends nurses to visit patients at their homes. They are all thinking about going to college but haven’t decided where.

“They mostly saw how we lived, and they did it on their own,” Deleon said. “They all graduated.”

Deleon’s children are also a huge inspiration and support system for her. They help her with her homework, especially algebra, which is difficult for Deleon. 

“I told them I didn’t think I would be able to do it and they said, ‘No, you can do it,’ so that’s why I did it,” Deleon said with tears in her eyes. “It made me want to do it more.”

Deleon wants her own children to be successful, but she also wants the students of Coppell to take advantage of the opportunities they are given.

“Keep going because there’s a lot out there,” Deleon said. “Kids can do better than what I did. There are a lot of opportunities out there for all these students.”

Deleon has been a custodian for Coppell ISD for 23 years and plans to continue expanding her horizons. She is studying hard to get through nursing school in the next two years or however long it takes.

“I want to be successful,” Deleon said. “ I want to be somebody someday.”