When Starla Taylor walks across the Tyler Junior College stage on Friday, she won’t be walking alone.
She will be joined by her sister, Janese Largent, and her daughter, Destiny Taylor — three women who share one powerful message: It’s never too late to rewrite your future.
Originally from Springhill, La., Starla has lived in Hideaway for the past seven years. Four years ago, she decided to eventually take over her uncle’s septic system installation company and needed the knowledge to do it right.
That decision led her to TJC, where she pursued a degree in business management and earned a certification in bookkeeping.
“I chose TJC because it was close to home, and I could work at my own pace,” she said. “That was important to me since I run a business.”
She is a first-generation college graduate. “My mom went to college but never finished,” she said. “So, for me, my sister and my daughter to all be walking together, that’s something special.”
The journey wasn’t easy, but it was meaningful. After overcoming addiction, Starla returned home determined to change her life. She’s now nine years clean. Her sister, Janese, five years clean, joined her at TJC a year later, earning credentials in EMT and medic courses. And when Starla’s daughter Destiny graduated high school two years ago, she decided to pursue her college education alongside her mother and aunt, majoring in general studies with an interest in psychology.
“We never thought this would happen,” Starla reflected. “It’s a testament to God that we are here. To have my daughter with me — after getting her back and everything we went through — it means so much.”
She credits business professors Don Blaine, Jennifer Coon and Joshua Edinger as key influences during her time at TJC.
“TJC prepared me well,” she said. “I’ve already started applying the skills I learned here.”
After graduation, Starla plans to take a year or two to focus on her business before transferring to The University of Texas at Tyler to pursue her bachelor’s degree in business. But she’s not stopping there. “My ultimate goal is to get my bachelor’s and then go after my license to become an addiction counselor,” she said. “That’s my end goal with all of this.”
Reflecting on her TJC experience, Starla said she’ll carry every part of it with her — especially “being in class with students my daughter’s age, becoming friends with them, being on campus and surrounded by the hustle and bustle of everyone doing everything.”
For students just starting their college journey, she offers this honest advice: “Don’t give up. It’s going to get hard. There’s going to be a three-month-long assignment you forgot about. Talk to your professors and be honest — they will work with you. Don’t quit over something that can be fixed.”
Starla’s story is about second chances and the belief that education can be a path to healing and positive change — not just for one person but for an entire family.
“It really is a testament to God that we are here to be able to do this together,” she said.