A Mother, a Wife, a Servicemember, and a Delaware Tech Student-Athlete

Gabriella Cortez has gone from being a traditional college student to a non-traditional college student. But, over the past five years, her commitment to complete what she started never wavered.

A self-described "military brat," Cortez grew up in Germany and England before her family came to Delaware where she enrolled in Caesar Rodney High School. She ran cross country and track at Caesar Rodney, and also participated in cheerleading and gymnastics.

"Running was my favorite," she said. "I really enjoyed being part of a team. I wasn't very fast, so distance was my strong point."

Cortez immediately enrolled in the Army after graduating from high school in 2014. She spent six months in basic training before returning home. At that point, her commitment to the reserves was just one weekend a month, so she decided to attend Delaware Technical Community College to earn credits to help for a faster promotion in the Army.

"I really wanted to excel in the Army," Cortez said.

She began pursuing a surgical technology degree, joined the cross country team, and took advanced leadership classes through the Army. Her hard work paid off, as she earned the rank of specialist at 19 years old – with just nine months of military service. She also excelled as a member of the cross country team.

"That was a way to help me stay on top of my fitness," she said. "And, I got a little bit of the college experience by being part of a team."

Life quickly changed for Cortez after her first year at Delaware Tech. She got married, she got pregnant with their first child, and she and her husband moved from Delaware to Ft. Carson, Col., where they were stationed. While living in Colorado, Cortez was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and took a medical leave from the military. Unfortunately that brought about additional complications, as she had trouble finding a job, there were issues with their military pay, and the family found themselves homeless and relying on living in hotel rooms and crashing on couches at friends’ houses.

"I had so much momentum going in my life beforehand that I never thought we wouldn't bounce back," Cortez said. "I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but I knew something would change."

They moved in with family and friends and started saving up money to get back on their feet, and also relocated back to Delaware to be even closer to family. Cortez gave birth to the couple’s second child on April 30, 2019, and she decided two months later to reenroll at Delaware Tech and continue her degree. She also looked into rejoining the cross country team for her second year of athletic eligibility.

"I remembered running for the school, but I wasn't sure I would physically be able to keep up with it having just given birth a few months before," Cortez said. "Plus, now I have two kids and I wanted to be a full-time student.

"But, I thought I would find a way to make it work."

And she has made it work. At 23, Cortez is now the oldest member of the roster. But, she is also recording faster 5k and 6k times than she was when she was right out of high school. She owes it all to a schedule she has set for herself and some amazing time management skills. She wakes up before her kids to get started on her homework, then she gets them ready for their day. She took most of her classes online, and only has to go to campus two days per week. Cross country practices are in the late afternoon or early evening, and sometimes her kids make guest appearances. Once they all get home, she puts them to bed and finishes up any remaining homework.

"Delaware Tech is geared toward understanding situations like mine," Cortez said. "I don't think I could've done this at a four-year college. It was a little intimidating coming back, but honestly it's like a family environment here and they give everybody a chance."

Cortez and her family plan to move back to Colorado after the fall semester is over. She is hoping to return to active duty or active duty reserves, and wants to move into a surgical tech position within the Army.

Ultimately, she is proud of how she regained her momentum in life, returned to finish her degree, and even took the time to be part of the cross country team despite being a new mother. Cortez said she had to fight the guilt she felt about doing something for herself, when some thought all of her focus should be on her kids. She was also determined to show that a young mother with two children can finish school and prosper in life.

"A lot of people might've looked at me as a statistic, being pregnant at a young age," Cortez said. "But there was nothing written anywhere that said I couldn't do this. There wasn't any reason why I couldn't go back to school.

"I didn't want anyone to count me out."