Since my oldest child was in first grade, I have homeschooled my children. This required putting aside my dreams of a graduate degree and desired PhD and investing all available resources into the educational needs of four children. Over the years, all four have taught me--via their struggles, talents, interests, and determination--to persevere. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer, requiring double mastectomy and three reconstructive surgeries. My children rallied around me, putting aside some of their dreams to help me traverse those difficult days. Since then, my oldest son has graduated from college, my second oldest son is pursing a degree in computer science on scholarship at Wheaton College in Illinois, my daughter has put in a gap year working the floor of Duluth Trading Company's flagship store and has just been awarded a top scholarship to Edgewood College in Madison among other colleges, and my 15-year-old son is pursuing AP level classes to secure his own place in college in a few years. With their support and through the inspiration of their efforts, I applied to the selective MFA - Creative Writing - Fiction program at Emerson College in Boston, MA. In my first semester, Fall 2021, I achieved perfect marks on my work load through a tough Short Story Workshop and a Literature Class in Postcolonial receptions of Classic Literature--efforts rewarded with a 4.0 for the semester. I was also recently notified that I have won a position into the month-long, self-directed Writing Workshop in Western Ireland this summer (2022). Several of my children plan to join me in Ireland for a celebratory trip after my work there is finished. I plan to receive my MFA in Spring of 2024 and to pursue publishing contracts for my novels and short stories and a PhD in Comparative Literature with an emphasis on Cultural Studies. My higher education is already serving as inspiration for my children with several of them planning their own graduate studies. Because I put my advanced degrees aside and focused most efforts toward my children, I was only able to work occasional/part-time jobs. The advanced degrees are providing a needed and refreshing boost to my resume as well as a network of contacts who can vouch for the quality of my work. The extra income I anticipate through this will help pay for the college education of my youngest children, allow us all to travel, and enable me to build up an inheritance for them as I have always desired.