A mother embraces her second chance at life

One tragedy, one miracle

No mother should ever have to go through what Natalie Garcia went through, but everyone should have her strength to get back up and thrive.

In 2017, a simple trip to the grocery store with her mother and her infant daughter, Sabrina, turned into a nightmare when a driver struck their car. When the damage was done, Natalie found herself lying on top of her mother in the passenger seat, with the car lying on its side.

Despite the first responders’ best efforts, both the driver in the other car and Sabrina passed away from their injuries.

But one thing did not make sense to anyone; Natalie had ended up on the passenger side of the car, but her seat belt had remained perfectly intact. How was that possible?

The police began an investigation on the matter that lasted a whole year. In that time, Natalie began her road to recovery while grieving the loss of little Sabrina.

“I have a big plate in my arm, I broke my foot, and I have scars all over me,” she said. “I went through almost two years of physical therapy and counseling because it was a traumatic experience. I was very depressed.”

At the end of the police’s yearlong investigation, a state trooper paid a visit to Natalie’s home. That visit would change her life forever.

“He had tears in his eyes and said, ‘I don’t know what you believe in, but we recreated the accident scene for a year, and we cannot tell you how you came out of your seat,’” Natalie recalled. “He said, ‘With all due respect, you were supposed to die in that car accident.’ They couldn’t explain it, so to them it was a miracle.”

Natalie could not get the officer’s words and face out of her head. She had survived the impossible. She had been given a second chance at life.

The question of how she survived was quickly replaced by a new one: What had she always wanted to do but never dared to try?

Cast your fears aside

At the age of 17, Natalie was already pregnant with her first daughter, Aileen, meaning school was no longer her top priority. She immediately started working to financially support her new family as a single mother, earning her General Education Development (GED) at a later date.

But the desire to earn a college degree never left her.

Even with her newfound motivation after the accident, Natalie did not return to school right away. When she was not researching the best college for her, she was questioning if an education was even possible with a full-time job, Aileen attending college herself, and her youngest, Daisy, still being a toddler.

“I think fear was the biggest obstacle because that’s what kept me from going back to school for a long time,” she said. “What I’ve learned is you have to get over your fear.”

One year later, she discovered Texas State Technical College; a place where she could learn online and study from the comfort of her home in Waxahachie.

“Really, what it came down to was a lot of research, and I felt like Texas State Technical College fit my schedule because it wasn’t going to force me into deadlines,” she said. “It gave me that support and confidence to say I can do it on my own time as long as I finish what I need to by the end of the semester.”

Natalie had been working in technology, specifically troubleshooting, for almost 20 years, but decided that TSTC’s Business Management program was the best fit for her.

“Although I love technology, I wanted to look at it more on the management side, and that degree aligned how everything works as far as managing your own team or your own company,” she said.

Natalie said the program was better than she expected. Rather than being met with pressure to get her assignments done, she was met with overwhelming support from TSTC’s instructors and staff. If she fell behind, when accounting proved a challenge, and even when she had to drop some classes and take them again later, everyone was willing to lend a helping hand.

She also found support in her professional and personal life. Aileen and the rest of her family would step in to help take care of Daisy whenever they could. InEight, the construction software company Natalie works for, was also supportive, especially when they found out about TSTC’s partnership with their parent company, Kiewit.

However, the program’s true value lay in the emotional lifeline it provided, helping Natalie truly embrace her second chance at life and find peace again.

“I felt starting college and having something to look forward to really got me out of that depression because I felt like I was doing something with my life,” she said.

Natalie crossed the stage for the first time in her life when she received her associate degree in December 2025.

I hope I make you proud

Just as she hoped, Natalie’s degree in Business Management gave her an excellent perspective in her work at InEight.

“Just being on the technology side with troubleshooting, you don’t really see what’s in the background, you kind of just see it from your point of view,” she said. “It gave me a perspective of what management deals with, their daily activities, their tasks, and sometimes why certain things can’t be done budget wise. I think it helped me be a little more understanding and patient.”

Natalie hopes to keep working in technology and one day manage her own team. She is also considering getting a bachelor’s degree in the future.

“I want to say for anybody that is afraid to go back to school because you have so many other things going on in life, I think if you can just get rid of that fear and jump into it, you’ll see that it’s really worth it,” she said.

However, her biggest hope is that she is an inspiration to Aileen and Daisy. She wants them to see that if she can accomplish her goals, they can too, and they should never let anything hold them back.

“No matter what obstacles or whatever you face in life, there’s always a brighter day,” she said. “I’m not just stuck in the grieving process; I’m actually moving forward with my life. Although I’ll never forget (Sabrina), I can at least say, ‘I hope I make you proud.’”