Hurricane Harvey Victim Earns Her Degree

From LSC-Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, TX — It is hard to imagine that recovery is still ongoing if you were not affected by Hurricane Harvey, but for Lone Star College-Montgomery student Holly Clay, it's a fact of life.

She lost everything in the floods and rebuilt from the ground up while staying on track with her education.

Now, when she triumphantly marches across the stage to receive her Associates of Arts degree at the LSC-Montgomery’s commencement on Thursday May 10, the moment will be twice as sweet.

"Hurricane Harvey has been a very rough, trying experience," said Clay. "I do not think people really understand the severity of what happened. You see it on television, but to go through it is totally different."

Clay was living in an apartment complex off FM 1960 and Aldine Westfield Road in northwest Harris County when Hurricane Harvey hit in August.

Her apartment complex was elevated about four feet off the ground, but she still got more than four feet of water in her apartment.

"The day Hurricane Harvey hit, I kept seeing the firefighters and the National Guard outside, so I packed one bag and that is all I have of my old belongings," remembered Clay. "Whatever I could fit, I packed. When I was rescued, the water was so high, the firefighter had to pick me up, throw me over his shoulder and put me in a boat."

Clay lost everything in that disaster, but it wasn't the first time.

The year before, during the April 2016 Tax Flood, she'd lost her car.

This just seemed like another terrible blow, and it was.

She started living with a friend of hers after Harvey, when a former Spanish professor, Norseman Hernandez got in touch with her.

"I told him the situation and he immediately urged me to come back to LSC-Montgomery. He begged me to take just one class, so I re-registered as soon as I could get Internet access," she said.

Clay registered for two classes and managed to do well, despite the stress of hurricane recovery.

"I still do not know how I made it through all that mentally," she said. "Everything was so up in the air, so day-to-day."

Clay was one of thousands of students impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and as the water was receding, donors stepped in to help.

The Lone Star College Foundation received an anonymous donation of $1 million dollars that it used to help students affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Within two weeks of submitting an online request for assistance, more than 1,800 students received relief checks ranging from $250 to $1,000, which helped offset costs of car and home repairs; replacing school supplies and essentials like food and clothing.

The Foundation also recently distributed an additional $100,000 grant for relief assistance from Strada Education Network, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and the City's Office of Education, administered through the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

To be eligible, students had to be enrolled for Spring 2018 and reside within Houston city limits.

A total of 350 full and part-time students received aid, ranging from $100 to $500 each.

Clay says in the midst of the natural disaster she truly saw the good in people.

"Living through the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey gave me hope in humanity because people who did not even know me came to my aid when I needed it," she said. "LSC-Montgomery helped me through the Harvey Relief Fund and the Food Pantry. Professors kept up with me, making sure I was okay and I appreciate that, it really meant everything to me at the time."

As she celebrates her educational accomplishments, all these memories still loom large in the background.

Eight months after Harvey, she still feels the affects

“...every time it rains, I get nervous. I have to concentrate on calming down. Mentally, I start panicking and preparing myself,” she added.

Many others might have given up when faced with a situation like Holly’s, but she has managed to pull through with a positive attitude.

She urges anyone thinking about an education to go back to school.

"It is tough when you have to go through difficult things in life, but if you learn from it then you get stronger," said Clay. "Do not let anything prevent you from getting an education. The point is, there are many different scenarios that might hinder you from getting a degree, but you can absolutely get it done."

Image: LSC-Montgomery