SoCal single mom goes from living on streets to earning degree from Mount San Antonio College

WALNUT, Calif. (KABC) -- Hundreds of students graduated from Mount San Antonio College in Walnut Friday.

Among them, a formerly homeless woman who managed to tackle addiction and rebuild her life.

Now, 38 year-old Emma Lopez Ruano has her associate's degree in alcohol and drug counseling, an achievement she once thought was beyond her reach.

"I was living off the Los Angeles riverbed and one day I just decided I needed to get clean. I couldn't live like this anymore," Lopez Ruano said.

Lopez Ruano, who is a single mom to three teens, is already working at a local hospital, helping to get others on the path to sobriety.