(ABC 6 News) – Tonight RCTC recognized six students for overcoming improbable odds at their OAKS scholarship celebration.

OAKS stands for Overcoming Adversity Keeping Strong.

Melissa Lagergren, Abrahan Garcia, Gabrielle Henderson, Sierra Learmont, Evelyn Valeon, and Idriss Abdallah were this year’s recipients.

The celebration has been going on for 24 years and many of the recipient’s friends and family were here to celebrate.

“We’re so excited to be a part of their journey, each of them has overcome a lot and they haven’t done it alone, so they have a lot they want to achieve, we’re glad to be a part of it,” RCTC Foundation advancement director Kristin Mannix said.

The scholarship will go towards their education at RCTC.

“Going to college was something I always wanted to do, but I really had to make that decision as to what path I wanted to take when I found out I was pregnant,” Valeon said.

“We started in Sudan and then I lost everything. I’m so lucky to start my education here,” Abdallah said.

Each continued to persevere.

Many of them, juggling school, becoming a parent, navigating cultural barriers, and more, all on their own.

“At that moment I saw two paths in front of me, and I saw that I could die in that bed, or I could get up and I could start living life, and that’s when I enrolled for school,” Lagergren said.

“Being noticed for these things, it makes me feel like I can do more, and I believe I can,” Learmont said.

“It’s a good feeling, because I think for a long time I felt like adducts were looked down upon in a sense. people are more supportive than they used to be,” Henderson said.