Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship — College Award

I, like most, do not plan on being a single mother. Now, suddenly, I have two little ones that depend on me to provide for them. I have always wanted to be an at-home mother, but financially, it has been out of the question. Having earned my cosmetology license shortly after completing high school, I was sure I could make a living as a cosmetologist. But trying to build up a clientele large enough to support my babies and me is a struggle I am continually losing. I took on an extra job cleaning houses while carrying one baby on my back at work, and put my toddler into a daycare. But that hasn’t helped either, as the daycare is nearly equivalent to what I am making cleaning houses, with just a few coins here and there to purchase essentials such as food and diapers. I rely significantly on donated clothes for my children and me. I have only ever bought five clothes four times in the two years on my own! Now with Covid and all the lockdowns, I am unable to work in those fields. Even though I have already gotten Covid, the lasting symptoms have made it much harder for me to breathe when doing light walking or household chores. So making ends meet? I know there is an end somewhere - and I know I will get there someday! My family lives far away, and even so, I can not return to them as they do not accept my lifestyle choices. But I am not alone; I have a great community of support that sometimes will send their daughters over to help me with the little ones while I do some extra cleaning and cooking. Others help me out through charity by buying our groceries each month. One day I dream of being able to financially and personally help out another mother that may need help as I have. Our small apartment was condemned when we moved in - but it was the cheapest thing I could find. Now the problem condemning the place has been solved, other issues remain, such as we only have one heater in the house, in our bedroom, for the little ones and me to sleep comfortably in the cold. It was recently, after a painful breakdown, that I was inspired to further my education in a field of study I have always loved (and many times did as a hobby in the past) where I could earn a steady living at home and still be here for my children. So I set out to follow my dreams of getting a BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts at Southern New Hampshire University Online. The online option allows me to stay at home with my baby while my toddler is in daycare. I haven't thought of dropping out. Though it is challenging with the children crying, and my concentration isn't always 100% on the homework, as I would like, it is when I fall and get up over and over that help me to achieve my dreams with pride and accomplishment! The most rewarding part of returning to school is knowing I am actively working towards a dream I have wanted, putting my mind back into working intellectually (which I LOVE), and working towards a goal that will lead me to financial success! My favorite moments with my little ones are when my 22 month-old is lovingly hugging his little sister, four months, and gently rubs her tummy when she is crying. He will turn to me and point at her and then the couch. Telling me I should hold her on the couch. When I do, he will crawl up beside us and cuddle together as he coos with her. The smiles they both have fills my heart, overflowing it with love and joy to have such precious souls that are more often happy than not! Although I was approved for full governmental financial aid, so much of it is in loans. With this scholarship, I will be able to reduce the number of loans I have to withdraw. Helping me to be more financially stable and secure after graduating, while paying for the basics of childcare. I can work fewer hours at my on and off jobs with cleaning and spend more time studying and earning better grades, getting that much closer to my life-long dreams. I am someone who will not stop even when some event tries to slows me down! My motto - "Where there is a will, there is a way - you just have to have a strong enough will to find the way!" Pirkei Avot.

"You can not have babies", is what my family doctor told me at 17 years old. I had always experienced horrible menstrual cycles with excessive bleeding. However, i thought that was what everyone went through. As little girls we are told "periods hurt" and "you are going to hate them", so I believed nothing was wrong with me since this is how it is supposed to be. One cycle came and i was in so much pain that I finally went to my doctors office where I was told I had the reproduction system of a 60 year old woman. My doctor informed me that for me to have children would be a miracle. Fast forward four years and my miracle came. I was 21 and discovered that the nausea I was experiencing was not the stomach bug my little sister had, it was a baby. I was suprised and scared. I had dropped out of college my after my first year because of financial issues and even though I wanted to go back, I had not. I though to myself, "what kind of life would I be providing for this little miracle?" and from then on I worked through my entire pregnancy to repay the debt I owed my school. When my baby was born I was all set to return to school and all I had to do was figure out what I wanted to pursue. I had the summer to think it over and in the mean time, I could spend with my little one. Two weeks after my baby was born the doctor informed me and my partner that our son had sickle cell disease. There is no cure for sickle disease. A person with sickle disease will go through periods ranging from days to weeks of excruciating pain because their blood does not flow properly and in turn, limits the amount of oxygen recieved to their bones. Many patients describe the pain as bone crushing. I felt helpless. No mother wants their baby to ever feel any pain. It is one thing to take care of a child and a whole other thing to care for a chronically ill child. I wanted to help my baby as much as possible. I began my research on the disease, the effects on his body, potential cures, and the science and physiology of how his body worked. While doing so I found my love of biology and realized that no one would care for my baby the way I could. So I made the best decision all thanks to my baby, to become a nurse. During that summer my mother decided that she no longer wanted me and my baby to live with her. I moved into my best friend's dorm room. It was in the beginning of the pandemic and she was a student athlete on a team with a high rate of virus cases. I could not risk my baby getting sick. It was time to make the hardest decision of my life. I spoke to my in laws who were nurses and they agreed to take care of my baby throughout the semester. I booked a flight with the little savings I had and took my four month old to Canada from Texas and left him with two people I hardly knew. I returned to Texas with a broken heart but with the motivation of a strong mother. I had no job, no family, and not even my baby anymore but I did not let it get me down. I finished my first semester with a 4.0 GPA even though I spent countless hours crying over my child. I managed perfect grades even though my only source of income was the $1000 I recieved in a refund from FAFSA. I stretched that thousand over five months. The most challenging part of my life would be watching my baby reach all of his mile stones through a phone. Another challenge is not being able to comfort him when he cries or is sick. Many people would think what I did is selfish. However, I believe it is the most selfless thing I could have done. My baby is safe during a pandemic, he has access to free healthcare, and he is recieving twice as much love. My favorite moments is when I call him and he still recognizes my voice. It reminds me that I am still his mom and he loves me. The greatest reward I feel is the comfort of knowing that our future is going to be great. I am doing everything in my power to give us a beautiful and hopefully pain free life. This scholarship would be amazing and super impactful to my life because it would give me and my baby a fighting chance to reunite sooner rather than later. With this scholarship and hopefully many more, I would be able to bring my baby into a safe environment with me in our own home. In the future I want to be a nurse for children with chronic illnesses. So, I am in school and educating myself everyday on how I can become the best one possibe. I see myself and my son in five years living together and never missing another minute apart.

I never planned to be a single mom , in a reality I don’t think anyone does . I learned not to question why God does what he does but when he took my best friend, the father of my child and husband I didn’t expect my life to change so drastically . I was heartbroken and didn’t even care about myself and didn’t see it possible to care for a one year old . I was struggling financially because of helping with funeral expenses and not being able to work because I didn’t feel mentally ready yet . Then one day my mom , who lost my own dad when I was two years old told me she was able to move forward and live through her pain and that I would be able to as well. Although I am not as strong as my mom I knew I had a little girl who still depended on me to be there and she did not understand why her daddy wasn’t coming home anymore . How do you explain to a one year old that her daddy has passed ? Especially when she’s constantly walking around the apartment looking for him and becomes upset when their is a knock at the door and it isn’t him ? You can’t . All I knew is that my own pain no longer mattered and that my daughter was suffering too . I promised myself I’d do anything I could to make her feel okay . Although I can’t bring back her dad I can show her videos and pictures of the love he had for her and keep his memory alive . I went back to work at a Lead Cashier but also started Medical Assistant school as my first step to become an RN. I love check to check and barely makes end meet. The way I see it as long as my daughter , Delilah has diapers and food and clean clothes , that’s all that matters. I am blessed to have my mom who watches my daughter while I do homework and work . I am currently taking prerequisite classes too apply for an LVN program. Once I finish that I’ll continue to go to community college to branch out to RN . My dream is to be an RN in OB. I have my own fertility issues and I would love to be apart of helping women deliver their babies and care for them as if they were my own . Winning this scholarship would help me a lot with making sure I can keep up with my bills and growing daughter . It would motivate to work even harder and stay up even later doing homework . It’s hard being a single mom to an almost three year old but I am pulling through . She is the reason I am still standing and why I realized that I need to do more than be a cashier or a medical assistant . I want to be the good example she deserves . Her dad passing away from medical issues and seeing the treatment he got in the hospital made me see how I personally love helping people and could have a fulfilling jog doing so . My favorite memory I have with my daughter was this one time I caught her saying “ hi daddy” and having a conversation and playing with her dad after he passed . It was beautiful to witness and I felt his spirit in the room . When it was time for him to leave my daughter turned to me and said “mommy daddy go bye” and he gave me a big kiss and hug that I knew were sent to me from him . I have not thought about giving up school just wished it wasn’t so hard sometimes . My long term goal is to get my masters in Nursing. I am taking it one step at a time since I still want to be apart of my daughters life and watch her grow. I still have to work and support my child so taking it slow is my best option . Even with all the Suffering and obstacles thrown my way, I am proud to say I am still standing and thriving .