GCU TODAY • 2 3
‘Hustle mentality’
Brenda Guillory was so determined to make
sure her children didn’t get caught up in the
street culture, her eldest daughter was home-
schooled after she was assaulted by some
local girls.
“When you have God in your life, you have
extra energy to do the right things,” Mom says,
adding that the “right things” included how
her children were expected to act in public:
“We respect the law … and it was enforced.”
That energy, and all the positive qualities
that went with it, rubbed off on both sisters.
“It was a hustle mentality, but more in a
good way,” Alicea says. “You do what you have
to do to survive, but legally.
“I don’t like to say much about it — my
sister is more outspoken than I am. We were
raised to be very modest. As my husband
says when we watch some of those reality TV
shows, ‘That can’t possibly be true.’ But what
we’ve done is true. It’s just life.”
Guillory is a walking, talking disciple of
her mother’s determination and makes it clear
that, while getting her education required her
to do things that most people would never
even attempt, it was worth it — all of it.
“Having to suffer as a child and not being
able to get the amenities others had motivates
you to provide the very best for your children,”
she says. “I was able to get past the statistical
issues and decide what I wanted to do as a
woman and as a mother.”
So what advice do the sisters have for
anyone with a family who wants to go back to
school? Alicea is quick to point out that the
support of her husband has helped her get past
the obvious obstacles and says modestly, “If I
can do this, anyone can.”
Guillory says, “Anything is possible through
self-discipline. Don’t believe what other people
say about you. Believe in yourself. They can
take from you physically, but they can never
take your knowledge.”
We saved the best for last. Brenda Guillory
has 34 grandchildren and four great-
grandchildren, and her 70th birthday party —
a campout in Pomona, Calif., that grew from
three days to five because they were having
such a good time — included more than 100
people. She shuttles from her Los Angeles
home to keep tabs on her family.
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