Student overcomes dark past, on track to successful graduation

Jackie Iovino had no family support, no money and battled heroin addiction for several years, not long ago. Her battle came to an end in 2014 when she became an anthropology student at UCLA.

The roots of Iovino’s story, however, begin before she was homeless.

“I’d gone to school in my late 20s (and) I had all my credits,” Iovino said. “Right at the point where I was ready to transfer, my father died. I had already started using drugs, but that was the beginning of my descent.”

After her father’s death, her mother started to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease – confusion and forgetfulness – that prompted Jackie and her sister to seek a diagnosis, she said. Simultaneously, Iovino’s heroin addiction made her struggle with a disastrous marriage and made other parts of her life harder to manage.

Iovino said her addiction progressed to the point that she could no longer keep her job, increasing her dependence upon her sister and mother. Her sister eventually told the bank she was a heroin addict.

“I couldn’t get clean to help (my mother) more,” said Iovino. “Then (my sister) had me evicted, because the apartment was in her name, and emptied our accounts. That’s how I became homeless.”

Iovino spent the next seven years on the streets, she said. She experienced arrests, deaths of friends and saw mentally ill patients abandoned on the street as she spent her time panhandling and finding work where she could.

“The addiction gets a hold of you, and I didn’t mind being out there,” she said. “I didn’t really know what to do, I couldn’t really remember who I was – I was just existing.”

Despite her circumstances, Iovino said she believed she had been fortunate compared to most. She said she had always managed to turn to someone when she needed it and that she had received help from strangers.

“I don’t know whether it’s because I didn’t completely lose my self-respect, but people would say to me: You don’t belong out here,” Iovino said. “But honestly, who does?”

Iovino said that at the time, she would have denied her addiction to her grave. But one day, she realized she was ready to improve her life.

“I was clear that I was over it; I was tired,” she said. “And I went, ‘You know what, I’m going back to school.'”

Iovino had credits from her past college courses and was able to get financial aid to transfer to UCLA in fall 2014. Her dream is now to be a lawyer and give voice to people who can’t easily help themselves.

“There is no guarantee that I will stay clean, but I have to have resolve,” said Iovino. “Otherwise, that’s no way to live.”

She’s now expecting to complete her degree by the end of this year.

Megan Olshefski, a recent graduate from UCLA who lived with Iovino in the transfer dorm, said Iovino’s story has made her more considerate of others and aware that everyone has their own story. Olshefski said she admires that Iovino is always thinking forward.

“(Iovino is) one where whatever card she’s dealt she’ll make it work,” Olshefski said. “She doesn’t want her past to dictate who she is today and she doesn’t want to be looked down upon. Life hasn’t been fair to her, but now she’s got her degree – and she’ll always have that.”

Arrad Rahgoshay, a recent graduate and Iovino’s friend made a documentary about her because he wanted to spread awareness about her story.

“I was in disbelief,” said Rahgoshay. “I’ve never met someone like that – and that she’s a student on campus that wants to go to law school.”

Iovino said she never imagined she would receive the support she has gotten from her peers. Though she’s unsure of her future, she is thinking about going to law school to be able to represent people in need or work against animal cruelty.