Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood and the influence of mothers in society. The Files family has a special reason to celebrate, thanks to The Honors College at Lone Star College.
Noelle Files experienced a difficult upbringing that led her to drop out of high school at age 17 and become a teen mother to Jacob at 19-years-old. She dedicated the next 14 years to being a wife and homeschooling her five sons. Files also wanted to finish high school, so she enrolled in the General Education Development (GED) program at LSC-Montgomery before earning an associate degree with honors distinctions at LSC-Tomball. She and her son Jacob will attend prestigious law schools starting this fall.
“My faith in God helped me overcome my fears and to step out with courage at age 32 to complete my degree,” said Files. “I wanted to show my children that it’s never too late to earn an education.”
Files started classes at LSC-Tomball but had to step back to assist her younger children with their education. During that break, her son Jacob enrolled at LSC and joined the Honors College.
“I saw how The Honors College changed Jacob’s life and the opportunities it opened for him, and I wanted the same thing,” Files said. “Lone Star College and The Honors College stood in the gap for the ways I was not developed as a young person, and it gave back the hopes and dreams I thought were long gone.”
Files returned to LSC at age 37 and later joined The Honors College to begin developing her undergraduate resume shortly after Jacob completed his LSC Honors Associate of Arts degree.
“Although I graduated from Lone Star College before my mother, she gave me the example and tools needed to achieve my degree,” said Jacob. “I watched her as she excelled in her classes and worked tirelessly to do her absolute best for our family. I am grateful that I could, in a way, lead the way in our educational journey.”
The Honors College at LSC provided Jacob with scholarly research abilities, deep friendships and the tools to conquer his social anxiety. The experience led him to become the LSC commencement speaker for the spring 2018 ceremony, earning an honors associate of arts degree as a prestigious Chancellor’s Fellow with a Leadership track and transferring to the University of Texas at Austin. Jacob will graduate from U.T. at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in political science in May.
“Jacob and I are confident that Lone Star College provided our foundation where our gifts could be fostered, and our weaknesses could be honed into newfound strengths,” said Files.
Files graduated from The Honors College at Lone Star College in May 2020 with the highest honors and an International Studies track. She took part in a short-term study in Caen, France, thanks to The Honors College’s partnership with the French Embassy. Files then attended Columbia University in New York on a full scholarship until the institution returned to in-person classes. She transferred to the University of St. Thomas and will graduate in May with a liberal arts degree in Classical Languages and Theology and will be the commencement speaker.
“Lone Star College and the Honors College restored my confidence and fostered my ‘I can do it’ mindset,” said Files.
Files will attend the University of Texas at Austin School of Law this fall. As a woman with Native American heritage with paternal ties to the Bitterroot Salish Tribe, Files plans to practice family law focusing on adolescent cases, especially those involving Native American children under the Indian Child and Welfare Act.
“As an Honors alumna, Noelle gives back to her community,” said Ava Veselis, LSC-Tomball Director of Honors and International Education. “Thanks to Noelle, we are working with the American Indian Center of Houston so that graduates like Noelle and Jacob can help others gain access to competitive programs like The Honors College and selective transfer programs.”
Jacob plans to attend law school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. As an attorney, he wants to help nonprofit organizations and be a key advisor to a firm assisting people to achieve and protect their personal and business interests.
“Lone Star College has innovative and quality programming that sets students, like Noelle and Jacob, up for success to compete in a global world,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor Honors and International Education. “We are changing the concept of what community colleges can offer based on the caliber of our programs, students and faculty.”
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.