After my high school graduation I was so proud to be attending Old Dominion University the following fall. I started college two months later and completed 2 years. After those 2 years I still did not know what major I wanted to choose. At that time I chose to take a break from college to figure it out. In that time there was the classic story of girl meets boy and I found myself married just a few short years later. College got pushed to the back burner. Over the next ten years a divorced followed and I found myself re-evaluating my life again. At this time I was given the opportunity to adopt a young man from Puerto Rico. At the age of 16 I was diagnosed with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome and told that I would never have kids. He was a foster child of a family friend, and I jumped at the chance to become his mother. After we were together for 2 years I found out I was pregnant naturally. At my first doctors appointment I found out they were identical twins. I was overjoyed and scared but so thankful for the blessing I never thought I would receive. With two new little mouths to feed I decided it was also time for a career switch. I was working at Michael's as a store manager. While I enjoyed the job, the hours were unpredictable and I was constantly on call. I decided to go back to public schools, as I had worked there before and really did enjoy helping children grow and learn. I was hired as a teacher's assistant in a special education classroom and fell in love with teaching. With little eyes watching I decided it was time to finish my degree and become an elementary school teacher. The challenges that I faced this first semester back at school was finding the time to complete all my work. After working all day, I take off the teacher assistant hat, and I put on my mom hat. From the second I get home it is homework, flash cards, barbies, Ms. Rachel, and k pop demon hunters until it is time to cook. After dinner we do baths and bedtime routines. It is only then, around 9pm that I have the time to do my work. There were many nights that I woke up on the couch with my computer open to the assignment I was completing. There were also many nights that I slept only 3-4 hours, and got up in the morning to do it all over again. Somehow, with all the struggles with time, I was still able to make the Dean's list this semester. I got all A's and I am extremely proud of myself. I thought I would struggle with writing because it had been so long since I had been in school but I went to the writing center on campus and they helped me remember how to write an essay and cite sources. My three little ones are watching and it is inspiring me to work harder and to finally earn the degree that I have been after for many years.

I am a single mother currently studying elementary education at Old Dominion University. I attended Odu over 15 years ago when I was fresh out of high school. At the time I never declared a major, as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a living. After completing two years I decided to take a break to figure out what I wanted. Those two years turned into a 15 year break. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome at the age of 16, and told I would never have children. I accepted this and was blessed to be able to adopt a young man from Puerto Rico. He came to me at the age of 6 and after 2 years together, I became pregnant naturally with twin girls. After having my miracle twin baby girls, I decided education was the final answer for me and it was time to go back to school. I have held many positions throughout life, the majority of which involved working with children. Being back in school this past semester my biggest challenge has been finding the time to complete my schoolwork. I am a single mother of 3. My adopted son is 10 years old and my twins are 2 years old. I am also already employed in a public elementary school as a teacher assistant in a special education classroom. I help to teach 9 students in grades 1-3 who all have different learning styles and assignments. As you can imagine this is a very time consuming job and while I love it very much, it is a job that requires work at home as well. I am extremely thankful for my village which includes my parents, brothers, and cousins. They have all stepped up to help me have study time in order to complete my work. As a direct result of there support I got straight A's my first semester back at school and made the Dean's list. Once I complete my degree I plan to continue working at the school I am currently working at. However, I will now be a teacher as opposed to an assistant. I want my classroom to be an inclusive environment where students feel safe, loved, and welcomed every day. Having a background in special education has taught me a lot about different learning styles. I have seen children with extreme disabilities learn to read and do math. It inspired me. It showed me I could make a difference in children's lives.

Growing up, my father was often absent from our lives. Not because he wanted to be, but because he was out to sea providing for our family. As a senior chief in the United States Navy, he had many responsibilities at work, as well as at home. He had to take care of and mentor younger sailors in his command, the same way he would for my sibling and myself. Recently, as I am now 35 years old, my father looked at me with a look of contemplation. When I asked what he was thinking he asked me, "I know I was gone a lot when you guys were growing up, do you think I was a good dad?" I was shocked. I immediately felt like I dropped the ball in letting him know how amazing my childhood was through my eyes. While he was gone a lot, when he was home, it was the best of times. He was a softball player, often playing for the command team. He would take all of us to the field with him, and I would sit in the dugout eating sunflower seeds, race my brothers to get the home run balls that went over the fence, and get plenty of hot dogs from the concession stand. He took us to the movies, to the air show, to any childrens event in the area, and he never missed a graduation. My favorite memory was the time my dad's submarine was out to sea for 8 months. We were preparing for his arrival by making signs to welcome him home. As I was finishing my sign, there was a knock at the door. My grandmother sent me to open the door and MY DAD WAS STANDING THERE. I could not believe it. I was so in shock that my first instinct was to close the door, which I did. My grandmother asked me who was there and I replied, "I think it's my dad." She ran over to the door and ripped it open to reveal my dad's smiling face. My brothers pushed me out of the way and ran out the door to tackle my dad into the grass. I was the last one out the door and jumped on the top of the dog pile. It was the best homecoming ever, and a day none of us will ever be able to forget!

Being a mother is what has truly inspired me to continue my education. When I was 16 years old I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and told that I would likely never be able to have children. Being from a big family, I knew that was something I wanted and was crushed. I continued living life and hoping that one day I would still have the chance to become a parent. At the age of 31 I was presented with the opportunity to adopt a 6 year old young man from Puerto Rico that was in foster care and I jumped at the chance. We quickly settled in to a life together and I was so happy to have the child I never thought I would. After two years of motherhood with my son, I found out that I was pregnant with twin girls. Everyone around me was extremely excited about this blessing. I couldn't believe that it was really happening until my stomach actually started to grow. My miracle girls were really coming. I knew in that moment that I had to better myself in order to provide a better life for my children. Throughout my life I have had different jobs that centered around working with children. I have been a nanny to twins, a camp counselor, a preschool teacher, and a substitute teacher. Once the girls arrived I decided to go back to work in the school system and became a teacher assistant. Being back in the school system solidified my decision that I needed to go back to school and finish my degree. My students have also inspired me. They tell me that I am the best teacher ever, even though I am the assistant. Seeing them grow and learn everyday truly makes me feel as though I am making a difference in their lives. Going back to school will allow me to be able to better teach future children. In order to be able to make this happen I know that I will need a lot of support. My family is the best village that anyone could ask for. They help me every day with watching my children so that I am able to go to work. When I voiced my desire to go back to school, they enthusiastically gave me their support. I want my daughters to see a mom that works hard so that they can have an amazing life. I want my son to know that you can achieve anything in life that you work hard for. I think seeing mom go back to school and accomplish the things I have always desired to do will inspire them in their lives as well.