Audrey Licon's upbringing was far from ordinary. After her parents divorced when she was two years old, she spent the next decade on the road with her alcoholic father, an aspiring musician. She learned to drive at a young age due to her father's frequent inebriation. Now, as a student at Midland College, Licon is sharing her story of resilience.
"We should have been asleep at those hours," Licon said. "Despite being out until past midnight, we would get up the next day and get ourselves to school. It was hard during those years. We often had no food and no transportation. We didn't have a washing machine, so I remember washing our clothes in the bathtub. Child Protective Services came to see us at school constantly. I guess one of the teachers or the principal reported us. However, we were too afraid to tell them anything. My father told us not to talk to them."
According to a news release from Midland College, Licon developed a cyst that required surgical removal after suffering a hairline fracture on her spine due to a school bus accident. As a teenager, she spent some time in foster care and lived at Methodist Children’s Home in Waco. With limited options available, she decided to drop out of high school and pursue her GED.
In 2001, while working as a bartender at a strip club in Houston, an incident occurred that led to Licon's imprisonment. According to the news release, she shot a patron in the parking lot after he sexually assaulted her and was subsequently charged with assault with a deadly weapon. She served three years in prison and struggled for some time afterward trying to reintegrate into society with a criminal record until she enrolled at Midland College where she is currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Substance Abuse Counseling along with a certificate in Business.
"Audrey is an amazing student!" said Stephanie Shelton, a professor of Substance Abuse Counseling at Midland College. "She drives from Big Spring, attends classes consistently and has amazing input for class discussions. Licon's background was very trying and difficult, but she found ways to cope and improve herself. Her writing skills and knowledge base have improved drastically while taking the courses at MC. She is very compassionate about helping others and completing her education. She has received a well-deserved scholarship. I look for her to do great things in this field."