Alumni Story - Gwendolyn Dailey
Gwendolyn Dailey made a promise to her mother shortly before she died: Dailey would go to college and finish her degree.
It was a big promise – a scary one. It had been 30 years since Dailey had been in school. She’d dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.
But her pledge to her mother compelled her to enroll at Delta College. And once she arrived, there was no stopping her.
Working through her grief, Dailey evolved into a strong and confident student advocate on campus, serving as president of the Black Student Union and as the student representative on the College’s Board of Trustees.
“Delta was my saving grace,” she said. “I discovered the strength I had inside of me. The instructors took my hand and led me through the journey, and it was a spectacular ride.”
The best was yet to come. After graduating, Dailey transferred to the University of the Pacific and started her own community nonprofit, Dome of Hope, which focuses on transforming lives through education.
“I am using my Delta experience to pour “hope” into our community,” she said.
And here’s another fact that would doubtless make her mother proud: Dailey is now pursuing her doctorate in education at Pacific. She expects to finish in 2023.