Four years ago, Carolyn Mauras hit rock bottom when she lost her job on top of her “toxic” marriage that ended a decade prior. The loss of her income combined with the emotional burden of sorting out her personal life became too much to bear.   

“Mentally it took a toll on me,” Mauras said. “A human being can only take so much.” 

She began feeling ashamed when she lost her home.  

“I ended up in a shelter,” she said. “I lost everything.” 

It was during her stay at the shelter when, at age 56, Mauras started telling other residents that she wanted to turn her life around by going back to school. “I kept saying it out loud, and they thought I was crazy,” she said.  

Previously, Mauras had worked in the medical field for 30 years drawing blood as a phlebotomist. Her new aim was to get an associate degree in Human Services and eventually become a social worker. As she started getting her feet back on the ground, in 2020 she enrolled herself at Montgomery County Community College with a newfound determination to get her life back on track. 

“I love that Carolyn is in her 60s and is still learning, growing and excited about this chapter of her life,” said Mo Ganey, Act 101 Student Success Coach at MCCC. “Carolyn is loving her internship and having the opportunity to put into practice everything she has learned in the classroom.” 

“When I lost my job, I lost my identity and going back to school saved my life,” she said. “When I went to Montco, I felt like I was human again - it gave me hope back and it humanized me.” 

Mauras said that seeing people and feeling like she was doing something worthwhile had a positive impact on her.  

“My self-worth and self-love were rejuvenated,” she said.  

Interest stems from personal experience 

Mauras’ interest in the field of social work stems from personal experience. After she receives her associate degree next year, she would like to further her education by getting a bachelor’s degree in social work. 

“I would like to use my bachelor’s in a broad form for women of domestic abuse and children of abuse,” she said. “My childhood wasn’t that great and as I got older, I had seen a lot of it in the home.” 

That included her marital relationship when she was in the process of raising two sons. 

“I got married and lived it for 25 years,” Mauras said. “I decided to turn my pain into power.” 

Having firsthand experience gives her a deeper level of understanding. 

“It wasn’t good to go through, but I thank God I did because I lived it and can relate to that and have more empathy and sympathy,” she said. “I can use my experience to create positive change.” 

Mauras, now age 60, said there is both a mental and emotional side one must overcome when they are a survivor of abuse.  

“I had to be the first fruit of my tree to heal.” she said.  

In August, Mauras started participating in an internship at Sobriety Solutions, located in Plymouth Meeting, which focuses on individuals with drug and alcohol substance abuse issues.  

After Mauras completes her internship, she looks forward to getting a position working full time.  

“I hope to get a job at Sobriety Solutions or some form of addiction place,” she said.  

Act 101 Scholars Program 

To get to where she is today, Mauras credits her Success Coaches at Montco for serving as her support system through MCCC’s Act 101 Scholars Program, which provides free personalized coaching, mentoring, educational planning, tutoring, career planning and outreach to students facing educational, personal and financial challenges.  

Through the program, students work closely with a success coach to assess goals and develop strategies to help maximize their college experience.  

“They really pulled me in and took me under their umbrella,” she said. 

Despite her older age in comparison to most students at MCCC, Mauras feels welcome. 

“The younger ones accepted me and embraced me,” she said. “I felt like I was the auntie.” 

It is a type of acceptance she never felt as a child growing up in Pottstown as the oldest of three children. 

“I never had a chance to live as a little girl,” she said. “I felt that little girl come out and be accepted.” 

Despite the hardships she endured during her youth, some of Mauras’ family members helped set the foundation that led to her love of learning.  

“My father was an avid reader and my stepfather, he pushed me,” she said. “He asked me to go to summer school because he said he saw something in me. I used to be mad at him, but now I’m grateful for him.” 

Mo Ganey, Act 101 Student Success Coach at MCCC, expressed that she has been amazed by the way in which Mauras has embraced her experience at the College. 

“I love that Carolyn is in her 60s and is still learning, growing and excited about this chapter of her life,” said Ganey. “Carolyn is loving her internship and having the opportunity to put into practice everything she has learned in the classroom.” 

Podcast to empower 

Most recently, Mauras started a podcast, “Empowered to Win on Purpose,” to give her a platform to discuss topics she’s passionate about. As the host, she uses the stage name Destiny Favors.  

“One of my talents is writing and expressing myself and sharing my story,” she said.  

Each of her weekly episodes, available on Spreaker, focuses on a different topic such as self-love, self-worth, self-value, self-care, resentment and forgiveness, and empowerment. Mauras, who cites Oprah Winfrey and Brené Brown as her inspirations, said her audience is mostly women. 

Mauras, who now lives in Norristown, has come a long way from the decades when she had low self-esteem and did not feel worthy. She said part of the healing process involved forgiving her ex-husband so that she could be set free.  

She also recognized that for many years her focus was not on addressing her own needs, which got in the way of her personal fulfillment. She credits MCCC for helping her break that mold.  

“I forgot about Carolyn and was too busy taking care of others,” Mauras said. “Now I look at the mirror and I give myself positive affirmations – this is my love and my passion and my heart.”