Clarisa Loparo was motivated to homeschool her kids in large part because of the impact that higher education had on her family when she was a young girl.
Twenty-four years later, she has successfully homeschooled three of her four kids (one more year to go!), and helps other homeschooling parents equip their high school students to pursue college, trade school, and other personalized goals in her role as an HSLDA High School Educational Consultant.
It all started with her dad’s story.
Spanish Harlem, hospitals, and children’s homes
Miguel Colón’s family moved from Puerto Rico to New York City when he was 8 years old. His parents were hoping to find better medical care to treat his mom’s tuberculosis—a deadly disease back then.
They settled down in El Barrio—a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, also called Spanish Harlem—in the winter of 1945.
Two years later, Miguel and his siblings were split up when their mom’s deteriorating health forced her to stay at a sanatorium, and their dad couldn’t take care of them.
“In 1947, [my siblings] Jimmy, Olga, and I were sent to an orphanage,” Miguel said. “The first was non-denominational in Farmingdale, New York.” They stayed for about a year. “Then we were sent to Cardinal McClosky, a Catholic orphanage in White Plains, New York, for about a year and a half.” In total, he spent about three years in children’s homes.
“He went to live in the ‘homes’ when he was just 10 years old,” Clarisa said, recalling her father’s story. Children’s homes provide temporary assistance and shelter for at-risk children.
In 1950, Miguel’s mom had gotten better, and she left the sanitorium.
“When my mom came out of the hospital, she came and picked us up. It was possibly the happiest day of my entire life,” Miguel said.
A rocky educational journey
Even before his mom’s hospitalization, his family’s traumatic separation, and his displacement in different children's homes, Miguel’s educational journey in the States was rocky. Coming from the 3rd grade in Puerto Rico, Miguel was chagrined to find himself placed back in the 1st grade in New York, because he didn’t know English.
In 1951, after his mom got out of the sanatorium, and his family relocated to the Bronx, he continued with his education until age 15, when he dropped out of high school.
Since he didn’t want to study anymore, his mom told him he’d have to work instead. So, she got him a job in Manhattan’s Garment District, where he moved clothes and belt buckles from building to building. It didn’t take long for him to decide he could be doing much more, so he went back to school.
After graduating from high school, he joined the military, became a lawyer, and had a family of four kids—who all ended up going to college.
Dreaming of more
“Higher education changed our lives,” Clarisa said. “My dad’s parents received very little education. So, when he realized education was a path for a brighter future and different opportunities, he decided to pursue it.”
It took Miguel 12 years to complete law school. “He graduated when I was 7 years old,” Clarisa said. “But thank God he pursued higher education, because he got us out of the ghetto.”
Thanks to her dad’s career as a lawyer, Clarisa’s family was not only able to move to a safer neighborhood, but they were also able to move back to Puerto Rico when Clarisa was 12.
“After I graduated from high school in 1982 in Puerto Rico, I moved back to the States for college,” Clarisa said. “College wasn’t just an option for me—I had to go. My dad had seen what education made of him and how it helped his family, and he wanted his children to have the same opportunities.”
Miguel and Clarisa.
Her dad’s ability to achieve a level of higher education was something truly remarkable for her family. “A lot of Hispanics don’t know they can achieve a higher education,” Clarisa said. Her grandmother, who only studied until the 2nd grade, “didn’t know she could dream of more.”
“You can dream bigger for your kids—and they can dream bigger for themselves,” she added. “You can equip and encourage your kids to pursue their dreams beyond high school.”
Opening doors and homeschooling
Just as Miguel wanted a brighter future for Clarisa and her siblings, Clarisa wanted the same for her own children—she wanted them to have more opportunities.
“I want my kids to have the ceiling I experienced as their ground floor,” Clarisa said. “If more education gives them the opportunity to have a better life, then I want that door open, and I want them to know how to open the door.”
For Clarisa, the vehicle to opening the door to college was homeschooling. She considered this educational alternative a great way to focus on her children’s needs and interests and equip them for college.
“My eldest son, Vincent, is now a mechanical engineer,” Clarisa said. “The middle one, Luke, is a technical education teacher. And my daughter, Isabella, who studied for two degrees, is now a marketing consultant. As for my youngest, Ruby, she’s still in high school and figuring out where she wants to go next.”
Even though Clarisa felt confident about homeschooling her kids, her dad didn’t share her confidence at first. Based on Miguel’s own experiences, he saw the traditional school system as the ultimate choice for success, she explained. “He thought my kids weren’t going to be able to achieve a higher education by being taught at home.”
The most wonderful thing
But as time passed, Miguel noticed how Clarisa’s children were pursuing their dreams and accomplishing success in life.
“He saw my kids, and how they became functioning, contributing members of society,” she said. “They went to college, they are successful, and they have their own families. It was a lesson over time.”
Miguel and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
He now thinks it’s the most wonderful thing I could’ve done,” she added, smiling. “He even says that my working for HSLDA was his own idea, but that’s not true!” she laughed.
Just as higher education opened the doors to a brighter future for Miguel and his family, homeschooling has provided the same expanding opportunities for Clarisa’s own family. And as a high school educational consultant, she’s thankful she can help other homeschooling parents navigate the process of equipping their children for college.
“Every day, I have the privilege of speaking with parents that want to best prepare their children for life after high school,” Clarisa said. “Seeing parents realize that they can make an active difference in their child’s life is very rewarding.”
If you’re an HSLDA member, you can reach out to our consultants for one-on-one assistance here.
Cover image: Miguel Colón and his great grandchildren.
Photo credit: All images courtesy of the family.