Back
| Knighten’s Accomplishments Rewarded with Scholarship Run Few people can look back at one day as the defining moment of their lives. Deidre Knighten has no problem referencing hers: Oct. 3, 1997. It’s the day she sobered up and began to turn her life around. A senior public administration major with a 3.7 GPA at CSUDH and the singular focus of opening a shelter for women, she has been showered with scholarships including, most recently, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Spouses Scholarship last month. More than just a repeat honoree, she is the quintessential example of what can happen when someone takes personal ownership of a second chance. Now 43 year’s old, Knighten was given a full scholarship to UC Berkeley when she was just 16, but she returned to Los Angeles when she became pregnant during her sophomore year. Her mother died right in front of her shortly thereafter, which became a traumatic moment that nudged her into addiction and a life on the streets. Ten years went by in a blur until her son was taken away from her right after birth in the hospital. She was seen as unfit to care for him because of her addiction, which served as a slap in the face that woke her out of her stupor. She’s been sober ever since. Her son, now 10 and the youngest of four, still suffers from ADHD as a reminder of her former life, and her story is not one she tells easily. Yet, it’s also one she is willing to deliver in hopes that it can help others. “It’s not like I go around advertising that I used to be an addict, and in the beginning, I was quiet about it because I thought people would judge me. But I share it now because it can help others. I sponsor a woman, and when I talk about myself at meetings, a lot of the women are fresh off the streets. They don’t believe they can go to school, but then they can see that it’s possible because I’m in college now. That’s the kick of telling my story- if one woman hears my story and thinks she can become sober and start a new life because of what I’m doing now, then it’s worth it,” says Knighten. It’s not just other women fighting addiction who have been inspired. Over the past two years, she has received more than 10 scholarships including the Millennium Momentum Foundation (MMF) scholarship, William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, and most recently, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Spouses Scholarship. The Hearst award is considered the highest honor given to less than 20 students within the CSU System each year, but it was the MMF award that opened her eyes to new possibilities. As the first scholarship she received upon returning to school, it served as the seed for her understanding of how she could use such awards to help finance her full-time college education and help her family stay afloat at the same time. It was also where she first met one of her biggest supporters, MMF founder and president Jason Seward. “You look at students in her situation who faced housing adversity, parental adversity, financial adversity, and more, and those adversities are often barriers to continuing education. Deidre said ‘I’m not only going to beat those challenges, I’m going to excel beyond them.’ She’s an inspiration to not only our students but to anyone who faces challenges to succeed. She is absolutely amazing,” says Seward. In addition to the loans and scholarships, Knighten has paid for school with money made during Americorps internships, which give students living stipends upon completion. She says she has undertaken the service projects so she has not only the classroom but real-life tools to set up her own non-profit after graduation. Last year through the program, she helped homeless veterans find jobs and places to live. This year, she’s working with the World Literacy Program to get addicted teens sober and literate. Her final goal is to set up a recovery home for women like herself to help them avoid making the same mistakes she has in her life. In a sweet bit of irony, her oldest daughter (the one for which she dropped out of UC Berkeley and returned to Los Angeles) graduated from CSU Northridge this past May. Her daughter is looking forward to cheering on her mom at CSUDH’s graduation celebration this coming spring, and Knighten is equally excited about that day. But she’s also planning to move directly into her master’s in public administration upon graduation. Some might wonder where, but that’s a foregone conclusion for Knighten. “Right here at Dominguez Hills, of course” she says, somewhat shocked that the question would even be raised. “I’ll always be a Toro.” |
Have a question or comment?
E-mail the editor.
Back