As her children were growing up, Martha Serrano often found herself asking the same question so many parents do: “How am I going to do this?”

How was she, a single mother in a new country, supposed to help her children get to college when she didn’t even understand the U.S. education system herself?

Everything changed when she discovered PIQE.

Her daughter, Arizbeth, was in kindergarten, and her son, Jaziel, was in first grade when she first joined the program.

“PIQE became my guide,” she says. She immersed herself in the program, absorbing every lesson in the books and putting it into practice with her own family.

“It was like a blindfold had been lifted,” she adds. “For the first time, I understood how the U.S. education system worked and knew exactly what I needed to do to help my children get to college.”

From their earliest school years, Serrano intentionally built that path. She learned which courses her children would need, how to navigate the school system, where to look for scholarships, and how to access financial aid and other resources. What once felt overwhelming slowly became a clear plan.

As a single mother, Serrano balanced financial hardship while helping both of her children, who were English learners, succeed in school. Yet she remained present every step of the way, determined to give them every opportunity she could.

“But those challenges became manageable once I understood how the system worked,” Serrano said. “What had once felt overwhelming was no longer an obstacle.”

Looking back, Serrano believes her family’s journey would have been much more difficult without PIQE, that her children still could have gone to college, but the path would have been far more challenging—and likely much more expensive.

Instead, PIQE gave her the knowledge and confidence to navigate the U.S. education system. By understanding how it worked, she says, her family avoided many of the extra challenges, stress, and financial burdens that parents often face when they don’t know how to navigate the system.

Today, she can finally put to rest the question that once kept her awake at night. This past month, both of her children graduated from college.

Jaziel earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington Tacoma and now works as an engineer for the U.S. Navy. Arizbeth graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology and now serves students through the university’s Special Education Department.

For Jaziel, his mother’s guidance made all the difference.

“Without her support, navigating college would have been so much harder,” he says. “She always knew where to find resources and how the system worked. Many first-generation students don’t have someone who can guide them through that process.”

Now a PIQE facilitator, Serrano’s impact reaches far beyond her own family. PIQE facilitators are program graduates who lead workshops for parents, using their firsthand experience to help families understand the education system and become confident advocates for their children. In that role, Serrano has guided countless families, and years later, parents still recognize her in grocery stores or around town to share stories of their children’s success.

“That’s my reward,” she says.

When she reflects on watching both of her children walk across the graduation stage, her thoughts immediately return to her own father.

He and her mother had little formal education, but they always believed in the power of learning. “My father always told me, ‘Education is the key to success.’ When I saw my children graduate, I thought of him and silently said, ‘Dad, I kept my promise’.”

Serrano encourages parents to take PIQE workshops if they have the opportunity and, more importantly, to put what they learn into practice.

“I hope every parent takes these classes because they can make a real difference,” she says. “They changed my life, and I’m living proof that what PIQE teaches works. But keep in mind that it’s not just about attending the workshops—it’s about applying what you learn so your children can succeed in this country.”

Today, Serrano continues sharing the same message with every family who walks into a PIQE classroom: “College in this country isn’t just a dream. It’s a reality. And together, we can achieve it.”