In this episode, College Unbound alum and core staff, Debra Jonfelix sits down with her oldest son, Justin Luna, now a CU student himself. What begins as a rare mother–son conversation grows into a powerful reflection on returning to college, navigating past setbacks, and finding the right educational fit as adults. Debra shares how completing her degree brought healing and new opportunities, while Justin describes connecting with CU unexpectedly through his children’s school and finally seeing a path to finish what he started. Together, they explore family legacy, motivation, and the impact of education across generations—highlighting how College Unbound meets learners where they are and helps them thrive.
Transcripts
December 2025
Debra Jonfelix:
So my name is Debra Jonfelix and we are here with College Unbound. I have the privilege today of having a conversation with a student and this student has a special place in my heart. And he's someone that I'm excited to know as a student at College Unbound. This is my oldest son. And I'd like for him to introduce himself. And then we're gonna get into a conversation and talk about the experience here at College Unbound as alum and as a current student.
Justin Luna: (00:45)
My name is Justin Luna. I'm now in my second year at College Unbound, the third member of my family to attend and hopefully completing my bachelor degree shortly.
Debra Jonfelix: (01:06)
Love it. So this is interesting. We don't have these in-depth conversations, but I'm excited to have this first one, especially about a space that I like near and dear to my heart. And as part of the work that I do inside of college Unbound and outside of College Unbound. I'm an alum that graduated in 2022 and I was introduced to the college through a line dancing class, which is funny that I was connected to your youngest sister. And I graduated in two years. And so now we're on this journey and I wanna talk about how you were introduced to the college because it was very disconnected from me. And I'll share a little bit more after you share about that experience. And then we'll talk more about being students at College Unbound.
Justin Luna: (02:01)
Okay. so I knew of College Unbound, of course. 'cause You had gone, you talked about it quite a bit after you graduated and they offered you a position with the school that that pops ended up attending and getting his degree as well. So he isn't, he didn't communicate as much about it, but he would share with me some of his like, journey as he was going along. So it was kind of in the back of my mind as something that existed. But of course, you guys being in Rhode Island and me being in Washington, it was like, okay, well, sounds like it's a school for, you know, people going back and not people right outta high school. And so it's an interesting kind of aspect completely off my radar of things that I specifically was doing at that time.
Justin Luna: (03:04)
When my now my two sons attend charter school out here in Seattle called Impact, say Sea. And it was early in the school year that I went to pick them up from their afterschool program. And they were talking about how College Unbound was gonna be having these, this kind of gathering to share information about the school. And so, I know you had mentioned that the school was looking to expand 'cause you were kind of the mouthpiece for the school, going out there and telling people about it and recruiting and things like that. But that, you know, you always hoped that it would go all the way to the West Coast. So when I heard about it and then I reached out to you, she, you'd had no idea that they had anything to do with the boys' school, of course your, your grandson's school. And so it was kind of like a spur of the moment kind of thing that I decided that I was gonna go check it out and just kind of get some information. And so then I, I ended up going and meeting some people that raved about you. Your name came up quite a bit. And yeah, I decided that the opportunity was there for me to be able to, to complete my, my bachelor degree. And so I ended up enrolling.
Debra Jonfelix: (04:52)
That's cool. So I remember I know I always talked about the college and I would tell you about, you know, I could see your cousins going or your grandmother going, or different people going, but I was really cautious about bringing it to your attention because you had said to and Pops is my husband, your other dad. But you had just clearly stated to us that, don't ask you about college anymore. You've done plenty of it. You know, people that did nothing with your degrees and you weren't going back. This was not even up for a discussion. So I was like, really, really cautious. I'm like, I'm not asking him, even though I help students come to school and enroll and, you know, sign up for college. And I knew it was a perfect opportunity and I never thought it would come to Washington State.
Debra Jonfelix: (05:45)
Like, I never fully believed that it would come to Washington State. It just seems so far away. But I remember being very cautious about it. And I just remember the day you called me and said, did you send this to me? And it was a message, I think it was on your phone, and it was about the open house. And I'm like, how did you get that? And you said that it came through your son's school. And I said, do you think you might go? And you were like, well, I'm taking my youngest to the park and I don't know, and you didn't really say much. And lo and behold you went, and then you didn't even tell me you signed up and next thing I know, you're signed up and you're about to attend and you kind of did your own thing.
Debra Jonfelix: (06:29)
And I was like, blown away because it was just outside of my sphere. Even though you had heard the words, you had heard about it, but it wasn't, you know, you weren't on my radar to directly ask to go to college, even though I so much wanted you to. And I just remembered that you had such a hard time when you did attend college of having advisors that would just give you advice that took you down a wrong path. It never got you to your degree. So you would say to us as you went from one college on the East coast to another college on the West Coast, you were like, I'm done with this. I keep taking all of these classes, spending all of this money, all of this time, and you were like, and I still have no degree. I'm done, and you never finish. And I thought, oh my gosh. So for you, when you think about the differential from when you went to college before and what the experience is like now, how would you describe it?
Justin Luna: (07:31)
So in the mindset of being a student mm-hmm . There are different distractions. Going to school right out of high school and being out on my own for the first time and kinda learning how to manage life and trying to have that independence was, you know, and trying to like, just have fun, really. It was like the school was almost a distraction from having fun. Like that, that was not the mindset necessarily. There wasn't a value in the degree or the education or the relationships, anything like that. So now as an adult and a father and a husband and a like a, a professional and a homeowner, there's all these different things that I juggle outside of school. And either when it comes to being like a part of the cohort or actually doing assignments and setting aside times, it's kind of like my own space mm-hmm .
Justin Luna: (08:51)
So it's easier to kind of concentrate on what needs to be done. So, that aspect of it as a student is kind of freeing. It's not, you know, work, it's not gonna affect my paycheck. It's not gonna affect, you know, if I make a mistake that it's gonna affect X, Y, Z, it's just to be able to do something for myself as a completion. Then, I think the other aspect of it for the non school work aspect is the relationships that I have with the students and then lab faculty is different. You know, I had a roommate when I first went to school back east, and the influence that he had on me was kinda weird, a different kind of personality. All the people in the dorm, it was, you know, trying to make friends, trying to fill time outside of classes.
Justin Luna: (10:03)
And the teachers, I had zero relationships with the advisors. I had zero relationships with. Like you mentioned, anytime I got advice, it ended up down the road just running me into a brick wall. And so I've had to become a, you know, self-starter and figure things out on my own. And it takes away from how much I need to look for help. So now the asynchronous classes, for example, are really good for me because I can reach out to the teachers when I need to. Having Lenny as my advisor is nice because he recognizes people's strengths in those regards. So he is like, I'm not gonna bother you if, you know you got stuff going on in your life, but I'm here when you need it. And then I'll touch base. And that way it's not like I'm lost. Right. And then the cohort relationships, everybody, we have like our, our text line that when people are confused about something or need help with something, or they were asking to go out for tacos this past weekend, like it just is a different relationship than when I was, you know, 18 or 19 or 20.
Justin Luna: (11:19)
Right,
Debra Jonfelix: (11:20)
Right. So something we haven't said is that you just had your third child. Yeah. A little baby, little baby girl. How does that influence what you're doing right now? Or does it?
Justin Luna: (11:37)
So she came along in the middle of this journey for her , her being even a thought happened kind of in the middle . So I, I feel like it is definitely stretching me a little bit thin uhhuh 'cause I wanna spend as much time with her as possible. So she's, and she's really good at snuggling. So it's tough to concentrate on a laptop with her trying to convince me to take a nap. But it, it does put that extra motivation to complete, like, not to walk away from something because, you know, not just having my two sons, but now having my daughter, it's another set of eyes that like even when I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing, they're always paying attention to what I'm doing. So when they see me going to do my homework or work on an assignment, or work on a presentation, or I have a class, they, they know, they look at our calendar, they're like, dad, how come you're not in class, dad? How come you're getting ready for class? You're dropping me, dropping me off at this sport or that sport, or I wanna go do this, but you have class. So they recognize it also. So it is a, although it stretches me thin, I've recognized that I can still manage and the importance of not letting things go.
Debra Jonfelix: (13:15)
I love it. I love it. And so, like, I think about something you said finish, you know, this just this motivation for you to finish. And I remember that feeling because I think I always felt guilty as a mom. Just feeling like I would tell you and your siblings, you know, and I would say, Hey, you need to go to school, you need to go to college, you need to finish, you need to, you need to, you need to. And yet knowing I didn't finish. And so that really stuck with me. I think that was at the heart of my motivation. Just practice what I preach, but also finish what I start. You know, I put all that money and time into it. And when I came across the opportunity with College Unbound, there was this opportunity to be an adult.
Debra Jonfelix: (14:09)
It didn't matter how old I was. I was also motivated by Nana, your great-grandmother because she finished college as a grandmother. And that really reminded me like, I have no excuse. So I, you know, and, and, honestly, Nana and Gramps, your great-grandfather they both were, you know, the catalyst behind you know, me and my siblings going to college. I never really took it seriously. And I, I hear you when it's that 18, 19, like I, it was a time for me to be social. And it's unfortunate because I wasted their money. You know, they had put some funds towards me and my siblings going to school. And I remember dropping out and going, I don't have time for this and you know, I have other things I wanna do, blah, blah, blah. And then I went back and I tried again and I tried again, and I tried again.
Debra Jonfelix: (15:07)
I think I tried three or four different times to go back to college. It was never the right time. It wasn't the right fit. Plus traditional college for me was pretty tough. I'm just a very visual learner and I didn't fit in the traditional style. I'm not big at reading, you know, reading complex and writing complex. But I've learned over time how to lean into that. But I think those other traditional spaces just didn't fit me. So when I finally came across something that I was like, I, this, I think this actually is a fit for me, it was surprising that I would be able to do it. And I was excited to finish. 'cause I didn't, I really, some days I even at the end, I really try to sabotage myself from even finishing. You don't know this part, but I came close to like, no, I'm gonna have to take a little bit longer.
Debra Jonfelix: (16:03)
I don't think I'm really ready. But I did, I did cross the stage and that was a big deal. And then your pops my husband, you know, also crossing the stage, it was just like I started to see something that I didn't even realize we needed. And I felt like there was a healing that took place. I felt like there were these open spaces, open gaps for us, and all of a sudden it was just one, one stage was healed, then the next stage was healed. And then I see yours, and I don't know that you see it as a healing, but I see it as a generational healing because I feel like there was this line of folks in our family that didn't have their degrees. And I feel like I know for me, it stifled me in my job. It stifled me at my job.
Debra Jonfelix: (16:51)
I remember going to a job and them saying we would love to give you a position. We just need to know what degree you have. I said, I don't have a degree. And they tried to do a workaround, but they couldn't, I couldn't get the job. And that happened several times and I was like, wow, I am really hitting a wall. This is decreasing my pay and my opportunities. And that really hurt at times. I just, I felt like it, it really hit a wall for me. For you not having your degree how did it affect you in your work journey, your career journey?
Justin Luna: (17:31)
I think maybe competence wise for the types of jobs I would go out for, I wasn't looking for anything really substantial at first. So I would kinda see where my talents would lead. So I didn't mind kind of, of starting at the bottom and working my way up mm-hmm . And it is, you know, my customer service, my sales mentality, and being able to empathize with lots of different types of people. It allowed me to do well in the positions I was in. But it never, I never liked going out for something that was like, okay, this is a career. This is a company that you get in, you work there for 40 years, things like that. I didn't feel like I had that necessarily available to me. Right. And it was one of the things that I'm at now in banking that I was able to recognize that, you know, certain companies, certain positions offer that based on experience. So I did have experience mm-hmm . That I had to get from working my way up. It wasn't like I had gotten into a management position based on my education. It was based on coming in and working my way up to a management position. So the, the, the big thing for me is that recognizing in myself finishing so, you know, I never looked at you for not having your degree as not being educated. I didn't even know Pops didn't have a degree. I thought he had his master's
Debra Jonfelix: (19:22)
, he is at a master's level mindset, right? Yeah.
Justin Luna: (19:25)
He carries himself and he is very educated. He just
Debra Jonfelix: (19:28)
On a PhD level, .
Justin Luna: (19:30)
Yeah. He just doesn't have the, the paperwork behind, behind the, behind
Debra Jonfelix: (19:33)
The paper to go with it. Right.
Justin Luna: (19:35)
And, you know, I kind of see that in myself. Like people wouldn't necessarily assume that I don't. I would agree. I would agree. But having that under my belt is like an accomplishment in itself. I, I don't SI didn't think that, like, if I don't have my degree, my kids aren't gonna go to school or things like that, that never really has come up. Jessica, my wife, finished her degree later on, not as late as I did or am doing, but she went back to school and I supported her during that process. Right. And it, that, you know, didn't really motivate me necessarily , but I think it was just the kind of thing falling in place at the right time. Right. And I think also doing it when it feels right and doesn't feel forced is important. Yes.
Justin Luna: (20:38)
Yeah. When I, you know, was in, when I was in my late teens, early twenties, I felt like it had to be done even though it had no value. Absolutely. 'cause I would see people get like, go, you know, go to University of Washington and get African American studies, and it's like, okay, what are you gonna do with that? And they're like, nothing . Like, I don't even have a job like that. Like I work at the community center. I'm going to work at this car lot. I'm gonna, so it's like, it wasn't, you know, I, I didn't see the value of it Yeah. Being forced. Right. Versus if it's something that, that's one thing that I like seeing, especially with some of my peers at College and bound, is they're in education or they're, yes. They're doing community related work and having a degree that allows you to kind of feel out all the different aspects of those fields is valuable, that, that, that significant. So there's different kinds of avenues that people are able to go into within the school that aren't, it's a different mindset and mentality that isn't like traditional schools. Like Totally
Debra Jonfelix: (21:56)
Agree. I would agree. What how'd you feel about all those credits that you took before not being lost?
Justin Luna: (22:07)
It definitely felt like it saved a ton of time for me. . Right. Yeah.
Debra Jonfelix: (22:12)
Me too. I felt the same.
Justin Luna: (22:15)
And I was
Debra Jonfelix: (22:15)
Told, I was told growing up, like after 10 years, that's it. You can never use those credits again. I thought, oh my gosh, I threw all of that away. So that felt really good.
Justin Luna: (22:28)
Yeah. I had forgotten a lot of the classes I had even taken. That long ago. Yeah. Yeah.
Debra Jonfelix: (22:35)
But it's, it, I think it's really cool that it brings value to the table. And I think the other thing is the work experience that I had from before. I took a class called Contextualizing my Work. That was my wake up call. I took that class and I started writing a timeline of all the different jobs that I had over the years and all the things I had been involved in. And all of a sudden this light bulb went off for me and I ended up receiving like 18 free credits for that experience. And I was like, what, wait a minute, my entrepreneurship that I did and other things that I did, what I'm getting, what I just remember, like, whoa. And so when I was in that particular course, I remember my professor saying, you know, write down all these different jobs that you had.
Debra Jonfelix: (23:26)
And I forgot so many. There were so many, I forgot I had done this. I had done that. I had been a doula. I ran my own business. I had a dance studio. I was in the ministry. Like, I did so many different things. And I was like, wait a minute. I did that and I had forgotten. And Right. And I think that, you know, college Unbound really helps you to do a lot of reflection. So I think when I got into the space of reflecting over time and even just counting on being a parent, you know, because something at the college we give credit for is caregiving. You know, whether it's you're taking care of, I had taken care of your grandmother for a time in our home and also worked in childcare and daycare and raised my own children and homeschooled some of the kids.
Debra Jonfelix: (24:13)
So all of that became credit. And I was like, you're gonna gimme credit for what I just did, that was surprising to me. So that experience really was a game changer. And I think it propelled me forward to go, wait a minute, this even cuts down the amount of time that I have to go to college. I am all about that, all about that not starting from scratch all over again. It's like, you know what, you can catch up to where you already were and then you move yourself forward. So where are you in the process? I know you are working on a project. Tell me about your project.
Justin Luna: (24:47)
So where am I in the process of the project? Or am I,
Debra Jonfelix: (24:51)
Or tell me what your project is and where you are in the process.
Justin Luna: (24:56)
So my core project is on its own journey . So it initially started as a platform alternative to an Indeed or LinkedIn that was more available and accessible to, specifically black job seeking professionals. Mm-Hmm . That would give more visibility and transparency to, to the process of finding careers and partnering with small businesses and really understanding their value and then the value of positions, like being very transparent in how much you would earn and how much experience you need to have in order to qualify. And my own career journey had a ton of hurdles that blocked me from reaching the status I'm at now because I kept having to start over or switch categories or I just, not even knowing what was available to me Right. From the general resources that are available. So I wanted, initially , to create something that could contest those style programs that were more common sense approaches and have a lot of influence that would allow the black community to be able to, to, to use and utilize those resources that they may not see.
Justin Luna: (26:48)
Right. at the stage it's at now I've scaled back the, the, the next steps mm-hmm . So that they're more attainable, achievable and work in the space that I, that I'm in, of banking, finance, not just banking. I, I, have been pivoting a lot more towards the banking side of it. Okay. Finance specifically. Got it. My company is starting to do a lot within my own community. And they donated one of their old branches to the area and it's now a resource center and they wanna start doing classes like finance classes and things like that. And so at their grand opening, I was able to speak with their executive director about how they wanna start, how they were looking to see if the bank would volunteer to help with mentor programs and things like that and finance courses. And so those things.