A Laptop, a Connection, and a Cap and Gown: What Belinda’s Story Tells Us About the Cost of Closing Doors

Every so often, a single story does the work of a hundred white papers. Sean Gonsalves’ recent piece for Community Networks, “A Cap, Gown, and Connection,” is one of those. It’s the story of Belinda Parker-Mendoza, a 45-year-old mother on San Antonio’s East Side who walked onto her college campus for the first time to pick up her cap and gown.