Growing up, I never thought I wanted to be a parent. As I got older, the thought crossed my mind more frequently. We started our family later in life because we wanted to be able to provide stability, both financially and physically, to our future children. We weren't able to afford college after high school. We both worked full-time jobs just to have a small apartment roof over our heads. When my now-husband enlisted in the military, we decided to immediately start our family. I never thought about what I wanted in the long term when it came to my education. My husband recently started college classes while still maintaining active duty, and it has pushed me to also want to grow and seek a higher education to help support our future when he does get out of the military. I homeschool our son as well and have realized how much of a passion I have for education. Becoming a parent was a larger struggle than I originally thought it would be. It never sank in that as a military wife, I would parent through many of the largest struggles alone while my husband was deployed or gone for months at a time. Living hundreds of miles from my own family has made parenting a lot harder as well. When the pandemic hit, my husband was deployed on a ship. My son and I were completely alone for 4 months through the lockdowns and worries. It helped me grow as a parent, as well as helped me see that I want to push forward towards my dreams because tomorrow is never guaranteed. My mother is also a huge inspiration as to why I want to continue my education. She was a single mom and widow when she went back to school to get her General Educational Development Test (GED). She went further after and received her Nursing degree as well. I watched her complete all of this with only a small amount of support from her family to help take care of me. I want my son to see that he can also pursue any dreams he may have down the road. I want him to be inspired by his mother, just like I am by my own. I hope to work in publishing as an editor or writer someday. I chose this specific degree because I can also become a teacher if I decide that is the path I want to take. I love teaching my son from home. In the past, I have also felt drawn to teaching. This degree gives me the ability to be flexible with how I decide to use it, as well as still providing me with both options that I have always been drawn towards as a future goal. I plan to work alongside my husband and provide a fulfilling future for our son, whichever path he chooses to take.