Late Bloomers

Kody and Melissa Corduan will be the first to tell you that "school" was never a favorite.  

 "As a child, I hated school. Although I was quite intelligent and academically successful, I was socially awkward," recalled Melissa Corduan.”  Melissa was born in Verdugo Hills Hospital here in Los Angeles; the doctor who delivered her also delivered her son, Jackson.  After tenth grade, I convinced my mother to allow me to home school myself using the accredited Options for Youth program."  Ten years later, married with a son, Melissa and her husband, Kody, opted to give higher education a go and enrolled at Pasadena City College.  

 Kody Corduan also left school during the tenth grade; but his journey was slightly different.  "I grew up in a divorced home in South Carolina, which required my mother to work multiple jobs, producing very little income. Considering the situation, I did not have a lot of supervision and fell into a troubled lifestyle. By tenth grade, I had been expelled from high school."  By the time he was 17, Kody was living on his own and working full time.  A mugging incident left him with a gunshot wound and a genuine desire to change his life.   From there he received his GED and one decade later started his mathematics studies at Pasadena City College. 

 The couple met in Los Angeles…at the local 7-11.  Both Melissa and Kody laugh at the romantic setting of their first connection.  Their first date was an intimate picnic at a spot in the Angeles National Forest.  Kody recalled, “I had forgotten just how far into the mountains the little park was!”  Melissa was initially concerned about her safety.  “He told me the park we were going to was nearby but we wound up driving 45 minutes up a mountain road where there was no cell service. I suspected he may be trying to kill me. So I told him I had a knife in the car and if he tried anything I'd kill him first.. He responded by saying he'd never kill on a first date, that he would wait till I fell in love with him first. And we've been together ever since!"

 Melissa and Kody have a son, Jackson, who is about to turn 10.  In addition to being a big fan of the Foundation Scholarship Music Videos, Jack practices Tae Kwon Do (he’s a black belt) and is home schooled by his parents.  Kody teaches math and science and Melissa does the rest.  “As a homeschooling mother, and the wife of a full time student, pursuing my academic goals has not been an easy feat. However, the feeling of achievement and knowing that I have become a good example to my son is incredibly rewarding,” Melissa related. 

 The Corduan's are calling Florida home for now, but are completing their Associate Degrees from PCC online and will be back in Pasadena in June of 2020 to graduate together.  Kody currently teaches math to at-risk middle school students.  “I hope to use my past to help them escape the same kind of life and find a future in education.”  Melissa currently works part-time and has set her sights on a business degree from one of the CSU online programs.  “Once completed, I would like to open a small business of my own that helps others to achieve a higher quality of life through healthy lifestyle choices.”