Hi, my name is Katherine. I am currently enrolled from an LPN to RN Bridge program at Rasmussen University. Being a single mom while in college has been the hardest thing I’ve had to do. I’ve had to find way to pay for my tuition, especially working full-time and being the sole provider to my son while attending school, I’ve had to miss out on lots of accomplishments of his as for he started kindergarten this year but I know the struggle and the hardship. I am going through right now will have a reason and it will have a better outcome and it will give us a better life and a better stability. While being in school, I’ve have to find ways to care for my son due to the fact that I have been needing to attend unpaid clinical hours and missing out on hours at work to be able to continue medication and to be able to graduate on time there are several obstacles I’ve had to overcome while being in nursing school, especially as a single parent and working full-time. One of those obstacles is having to pay out-of-pocket for my tuition as well as being the sole provider for my son and paying for his day care fee transportation on his necessities alone. My plan for when I finish graduating is to be able to be more present in my son‘s life and to be able to get into the career I want, which is to be a forensic nurse to be able to help sexual assault victim in domestic violence victims due to the fact when I was younger, I was sexually assaulted and felt alone and had no help so I wanna do the best thing I can do for other victims going through these times and be able to advocate for them and speak up for them, and letting them know that they are strong, no matter the circumstances. After I graduate from my LPN to RN program, I plan to enroll in school for my RN to BSN program approximately six months after graduating my RN program but most importantly is be able to make up all the time I have lost with my son while being a full-time employee and a full-time student. Thank you for taking out of your time to read my essay and I do hope you consider me for this scholarship so I could be able to afford my upcoming term.

Becoming a first generation college student in my family is the biggest success. My family will have due to the fact that none of my family members have gone to college or graduated becoming a first generation college student influenced my career and the healthcare because seeing my parents struggling during their hardship to be able to give me the education they weren’t able to have. I became a mom at 15 and after becoming a mom I was told my life is over. I was not able to go to college and I was able to prove a lot of people in my family wrong. My family consist of lots of dropouts of high school and colleges lots of mental health issues and I feel like choosing healthcare as my career has a way for me to be able to help people during their hardship and be able to be there at their tough time and be able to hold their hand and just tell them it’s going to be OK no matter the circumstances becoming the first generation of a college student would make my parents so proud just to show them that they’re hard work did come with a good prize, which is me graduating from college, especially as their youngest daughter and the only one in college and being a mom at the same time …

Hi, my name is Katherine. Being a single mom has shaped me in every single way especially me becoming a mom at 15. Becoming a mom at 15 was the hardest but the most rewarding gift I got my son pushed me to become a better person. He pushed me to finish high school and graduate at 16 almost 2 years earlier than I would have. I knew dropping out was not an option because I wanted to give myself and my son the future we deserve even though I ended up as a teen mom my life was not over. It was just beginning. He motivated me to go into college as a single mom with no help I was able to find ways to finish my first certified medical assistant program with my son by my side. Meanwhile, I was working full-time overnight doing whatever I could to provide for me and my son and leaving him with a trusted friend while I was able to work. After I graduated my medical assistant program I decided I wanted to expand my career to be able to help and show other young moms that it is possible to continue your career even as a single mom, especially as a teen mom I enrolled myself into a accelerated LPN school. It was the hardest toughest and most challenging time in my life especially being a single mom. Dad is nowhere around. I was working full-time as a medical assistant. I will drop off my son at school at six in the morning. Get to work by 7:30 leave work by four to pick him up from school and leave him with my friend so I could go to school from 6 PM till 10 PM almost an hour away to be able to give him the future he deserves. I was able to graduate my LPN school through the toughest time, including unpaid clinical hours and being a single mom working full-time, I decided to enroll myself in the current program I am in now the LPN TO RN bridge program that takes me a year to complete during this time I was told I had to pay out-of-pocket for my tuition so receiving this scholarship would not just help me but help my son due to the fact that I am working full-time in school and I am a single mother and can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket on my own. I am currently an LPN working in the field. I love helping those in need and to be able to be there for those during their hardship so receiving this scholarship would help me so much as I am barely present for my son as much as I would like to be because of how demanding school has been especially being a full-time employee. Thank you for taking your time and reading my essay and I hope you consider me again thank you. The picture uploaded is the first picture I ever taken graduating high school at 16 with my son.